Indiana’s mobile sports betting apps are off to the races

Indiana’s first-ever mobile sports betting race is officially underway.

After seeing the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) wave the green flag last week, Rush Street Interactive (RSI) and French Lick Casino officially launched BetRivers on Thursday—becoming the first Hoosier State sportsbook for smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers.

RSI President Richard Schwartz said he was excited to launch in the middle of so many sports in-season at the moment.

“What better time to launch than in the height of football season, the start of baseball playoffs and just before basketball returns?” Schwartz said in the company’s press release. “We know our players are really going to appreciate the convenience of being able to place wagers online anywhere in Indiana, adding to the excitement of these sporting events.”

Schwartz also said he believes his company’s previous success in the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania markets will allow the BetRivers sportsbook to continue innovating while striving to provide the best possible Internet-based betting experience for all Hoosiers.

DraftKings makes the starting lineup

In addition, DraftKings Sportsbook—in partnership with Ameristar East Chicago—received authorization from the IGC on Wednesday to launch its online and mobile sportsbook in the state.

“With Indiana becoming the latest state to offer legalized online and mobile sports betting, we are excited to provide the top-rated sportsbook app to some of the nation’s most passionate and dedicated sports fans,” said Matt Kalish, co-founder and chief revenue officer of DraftKings, said in the company’s press release.

DraftKings, which had primarily been known for its daily fantasy sports (DFS) offerings before the federal repeal, is one of the two biggest sportsbooks—the other being FanDuel—that have seized a majority share of the newly legalized sports betting market in the United States.

It’s estimated that DraftKings and FanDuel, which will also eventually come to Indiana, control around 83% of the legal sports betting market in New Jersey—the undisputed king of sportsbooks after recently topping Nevada in revenue for the third time in four months.

Mo’ mobile, mo’ money

The IGC has stated that it expects another mobile sportsbook operator to receive authorization before the end of October.

“These are the two we’ve been spending our time on,” said IGC executive director Sara Tait. “There will probably be one more likely to launch in October, but I think that’s still a few weeks off.”

The DraftKings and the BetRivers mobile sportsbooks can be accessed via web browsers. Currently, DraftKings offers an app for both Apple and Android, while the BetRivers mobile platform only supports Android at this time.

All of Indiana’s 13 casinos have launched sportsbooks at their brick-and-mortar locations and are eligible to receive licenses to offer sports wagering for online and mobile devices.

Why Hoosiers have sportsbooks

After the US Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on state-regulated sports betting—also known as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA)—on May 14, 2018, all states were granted the right to decide whether to allow sports betting in their jurisdictions.

Indiana legalized sports betting on Wednesday, May 8, when Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the comprehensive bill into law, authorizing in-person, online, and mobile sportsbooks to operate in the state.

And on the first day the law allowed for it, the Indiana sportsbooks began accepting wagers on Sunday, September 1, when the Ameristar East Chicago, Hollywood Casino, and Indiana Grand all opened the doors to their respective sportsbooks—becoming the 13th state to offer legal sports betting.

Indiana’s mobile betting requirements

Anyone who is at least 21 years old and is physically located inside the state lines of Indiana can register an account using the BetRivers or the DraftKings official website or mobile app.

Players do not have to register in-person at the French Lick Casino, and instead can complete the account registration from anywhere in the state. Indiana bettors will need to provide the following information to sign up:

• Legal Name
• Birth Date
• Phone Number
• Residential Address
• Email Address
• Social Security Number (last four digits)
• Credit Card or Debit Card Number
• Location (for geolocation verification)

List of sports you can bet on from Indiana

The IGC has set some sports betting restrictions you should be aware of before placing a wager from your mobile device:

• Indiana colleges and universities can prohibit wagering on their premises.
• No bets are allowed on esports.
• No bets are allowed on sporting events where amateur athletes are under 18 years of age.

But whether you’re at an in-person casino or choose to bet from an online or mobile device, Indiana allows its sportsbooks to accept wagers on all professional and collegiate sporting events.

Indiana sportsbooks are allowed to offer betting lines and odds on additional sports after receiving prior approval from the IGC, but currently, the sports that you can legally bet on in the Hoosier State are as follows:

• Auto Racing: NASCAR (including Monster Energy Series, Xfinity Series Truck Series), Formula One, IndyCar
• Baseball: MLB, MLB Draft, NCAA Division I, Minor League Baseball Triple-A
• Basketball: NBA, NBA Draft, WNBA, WNBA Draft, NCAA Division I, Euro League and Euro Cup, International Basketball Federation
• Bowling: PBA
• Boxing: International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, World Boxing Organization, Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports
• Cricket: Men’s and Women’s World Cup, International Cricket Council
• Darts: PDC Championship
• Football: NFL, NCAA Division I, Canadian Football League, Arena Football League
• Golf: PGA, PGA Tour Champions, LPGA, Champion’s Tour, European Tour, International Events
• Hockey: NHL, NCAA Division I, International Ice Hockey Federation, World Championships
• Lacrosse: NCAA Division I
• Mixed Martial Arts: UFC, Bellator MMA, One Championship, Professional Fighters League, Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports
• Olympics: Summer and Winter (including trials)
• Rugby: Six Nations, World Cup, World Rugby, Four Nations
• Sailing: Americas Cup, International Sailing Federation
• Soccer: FIFA, MLS, UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, French Ligue 1, Mexican Liga Bancomer, Spanish La Liga, NCAA Division I
• Softball: NCAA Division I
• Tennis: United States Tennis Association, Association of Tennis Professionals, Women’s Tennis Association, International Tennis Federation Grand Slams/Majors, NCAA Division I
• Track and Field: International Association of Athletics Federations, NCAA Division I