[IN] Indiana Bingo, Casino and Sports Betting [2021]

Indiana online gambling remains offshore and has been for many years with many players continuing to sign up and play at licensed and regulated online casinos and other betting sites. Land based gambling is expanding quickly with the recent legalization of sports betting, adding to the pre-existing horse racing, native american casinos, lottery and VLTs.

Online Gambling

• Offshore online casinos accept players from Indiana
• Online commercial operators based in Indiana are prohibited
• Indiana Hoosier lottery is commercially operated by GTECH, which holds an exclusive license over lottery products (though the State Lottery Commission approves GTECH’s business plan on the lottery
• Land based, riverboat and racetrack casinos are commercially operated (there are 13 licensed operators throughout the State, December 2014)
• Bingo is operated on a commercial basis

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Best 5 Indiana Online Live Casinos

Real Money Online casino activity is currently available and offered through various sites that are based offshore. These sites are safe and secure to play at, with no risk posed to Indiana players, both regarding legality or to player data protection.

The best online casinos all use the latest SSL internet technology, and feature secure payment methods that are common, trusted and processed by reputable financial institutions. These include: VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Bitcoin (BTC), direct wire transfers and many other methods.

Bonuses are extremely important in selecting an online casino. We have therefore displayed some of the best casino bonuses that can be found whilst balancing other important criteria such as safety and security as previously mentioned. However, for ease of reference, we have listed them according to the size of bonus.

Without doubt, at the time of writing, El Royale Casino offers the best casino bonus deal. It is also one of the safest. Coupled with excellent customer service, El Royale is our top recommended online casino for Indiana players.

Live Dealers

Early 2020, Live Dealers (Human Dealer and not electronic) were permitted at casinos. (Previously, electronic table games were the only form allowed). The catalyst for change was the legalization of sports betting. It’s amazing gambling laws can be interlinked even though each form of gambling may be quite different in nature.

Harrah’s Hoosier has introduced hundreds of live table gaming, meeting the demand from players who want that human interaction and better winning odds.

At our online casinos, you will also find Live Dealers streamed directly to your playing device. Live Dealers are a great way to maintain that human interaction, albeit over the internet. Another benefit of playing online is that players have the option of choosing the type of Dealer they would like, male or female and ethnic background.

Sports Betting Sites

Online sports betting sites, however, do exist and they are based offshore. They accept Indiana bettors, with no precedence of any bettor being informed of a breach in law, let alone charged with a misdemeanor or felony.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily Fantasy Sports is growing fast in popularity. New to the gambling scene, it is considered a game of skill by many which requires bettors to create a fictitious team based on real players. The performance of the real sports players in real life determine how successful the fictitious team is. As a result, it truly is those with the most “skills” will win.

The two dominate daily fantasy sports providers is DraftKings and FanDuel. On this site, we do not actively promote daily fantasy sports as we understand that it is a game of “skill” which is being exploited by bettors who have the best risk modelling. That is, it isn’t nearly about how well you know your sport, the sport players etc, it is very much about who has the best statistical model and who has access to the most detailed sports player data.

As someone who may be a big fan of sport, and thinking that they would have a good chance of winning money in DFS, think again. You are pitted against statistical modelling experts who deliberately target games that mostly have new players to DFS. In fact, it has been alleged that those who are extremely good at DFS have been known to collaborate among themselves and not compete with each other. Thereby creating a sustainable winning formula shared by the experts.

We therefore want our readers to be aware that DFS is not what is appears to be. In fairness, DFS is legal in Indiana and many DFS onshore operators accept Indiana players.

Top 3 Indiana Online Bingo

Check out these online bingo sites for Indiana. They have been selected due to their great playing experience, customer service and fun factor.

Indiana bingo laws are stipulated under Charitable gaming state legislation. These laws provide for the licensing of non profit organizations to operate bingo games. At present, these laws do not address nor permit online bingo by onshore operators. Accordingly, online bingo sites that do accept Indiana players are based offshore (which is the same as online casinos and sports betting sites).

The recommended online bingo sites all accept players from Indiana. They offer advanced features that include instant messaging, fun bingo games and protocols that ensures bingo participants play together in a civil enjoyable manner. Due to the social aspect of bingo, there is a cultural aspect to bingo which cannot be found with casino or sports betting. As an example, A LOT of acronyms form part of instant chat messaging. If you are not familiar with online bingo lingo, do not be afraid, learning it is one of the most fun parts!

Gambling Laws

• The online market is not yet regulated, and onshore online operations are currently prohibited,
• Land based and riverboat casinos that offer slots and table games are permitted,
• Racetrack casinos are permitted to offer slots games only,
• Pari-mutuel horse race wagering is permitted, as are bingo and charitable games (which are required to be operated by a qualified tax-exempt organisation),
• Pull-tabs operated in bars and similar establishments and Video Gaming Terminals in bars, restaurants and clubs that sell alcohol are permitted,
• Poker is defined as a game of chance under State law and is illegal by definition (classified as a Class B Misdemeanor under the Indiana State Code)

Gambling Legal Minimum Age

• 21 for land based and riverboat casinos and slot machines
• 18 for lottery, pari-mutuel betting, bingo and pull-tabs (live and online)

Gambling Taxes

• There is a progressive tax rate on land based and riverboat casino products from 15-40%
• Gross gaming revenue with US$3 per patron admission tax and progressive slot tax from 25- 35% gross gaming revenue
• Bingo, charitable games and pull tab / jar games are taxed at 5% gross gaming revenue
• The surplus from the Hoosier Lottery is directed to the state for tax reductions and pension obligations (in financial year 2014 GTECH paid US$248m surplus revenue).

Regulation and Governance

• Indiana Gaming Commission
• Indiana Horse Racing Commission
• State Lottery Commission of Indiana

Gambling Legislation

• Indiana State Code: Riverboat Gaming Statute, Charity Gaming Statute
• Gambling Games at Racetracks and Gambling
• Indiana Lottery Act 1989.

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Indiana Gambling Market Developments

Background

• The Hoosier Lottery, launched in 1989 and operated by the State Lottery Commission of Indiana, sells a variety of instant and pull-tab-style games, known as Scratch-Offs, the Lottery’s largest revenue-generators
• Indiana is a fairly conservative state when it comes to social policy, though the size of its gambling market does not reflect this, assisted by the fact that a number of its casinos are located on or close to state lines
• In 2007 The Indiana General Assembly passed legislation authorizing machine gambling at the state’s two racetracks
• Indiana State Lottery, held an exclusive license over lottery products, prior to privatization in 2008
• There have been no attempts at introducing a Bill that would regulate online poker (or sports betting) within the market.

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January 2015

Alan Morrison, State Representative, introduced two Bills on sports betting to the Indiana courts. The first, HB1073, would authorize sports betting at casinos, racinos and parimutuel facilities for licensed operators within the State, subject to a resolution by the Indiana Gaming Commission, that such activity was permissible under federal law.

HB1074, sought to authorize fantasy sports offerings at racinos within the State. The annual tax revenue that could be generated from sports betting within the market was estimated to be between US$12-70m. Indiana courts would review both Bills, though it is understood that HB1074 was the more likely to be passed, due to the federal prohibitions on sports betting.

February 2015

Indiana House Public Policy Committee voted to approve land-based gaming, as well as live dealers for table games at the States two racetrack casinos by a ten to two majority vote. This was the first of two required House Committee’s that would vote on the legislative status of HB1540; the second vote would be held shortly by the House Ways and Means Committee, before the legislation could be advanced to the Senate.

The House approved HB 1540 by a vote of 76-19. HB 1540 authorized riverboat casinos to be moved inland adjacent to their respective docking locations and permitted the two racinos in Indiana to operator live dealers as opposed to video dealers for existing table games. In addition, HB 1540 contained provisions that would provide tax incentives for new casino construction, maintain existing marketing strategies in casinos, and
commissioned a study into the use of gross gaming revenue by governments.

March 2015

The Indiana Public Policy Committee voted in favor of HB1540 by 10-0 majority and progressed the bill through the first of two Senate committee hearings. The first hearing would be chaired by the Senate Appropriations Committee

April 2015

The Appropriations Committee progressed HB1540 by a majority vote of 10-1 and progressed to a full Senate Chamber hearing. Notable amendments included a permanent tax deduction for free play games, which would be capped at $5m per annum, obligations on casinos to provide free drinks in non-gaming areas, as well as establishing a process for tribal gaming compacts. The Committee further decided against expanding gaming to
include live dealers at racetrack casinos.

The Senate voted to approve HB 1540 authorizing riverboat casinos to move their operations on land.

The conference committee debated the key provisions of HB 1540 and determined action was necessary to boost the gaming industry in Indianapolis. Further deliberations would be required following disagreements over the differences in the House and Senate Bills. Under the House Bill, racinos in Anderson and Shelbyville would be entitled to introduce a limited number of live dealers over a five-year period, before then petitioning to the Indiana Gaming Commission for extensions. The Senate Bill would not authorize live tables at either of the two racinos until 2021.

The Indiana Senate unanimously approved Concurrent Resolution 54 progressing the measure to the Indiana House of Representative. CR 54 attempts to prevent the Pokagon tribal land-based casino from being established without State approval. It is understood Pokagon would seek to challenge the measure on grounds of tribal sovereignty and the federal government’s trust responsibility to the Indian nations.

The House approved HB 1540 by a vote of 75-11 and confirmed live dealers would become regulated in March 2021. HB 1540 was sent to State Governor Mike Pence for final consideration to determine whether to sign the bill into law.

May 2015

Mike Pence passed HB 1540, in addition to a bill on horse racing promotions without his signature. However, the Governor vetoed the gambling bill on advanced deposit horse race wagering passed by the General Assembly on the grounds that this expansion of gambling was unacceptable.

February 2016

The Committee on Public Policy passed a bill to authorize daily fantasy sports. Senate Bill 339 was introduced by Senators Ford and Alting on 07 January 2016 and provides that DFS contests conducted in accordance with the paid fantasy sports game statute do not constitute gambling.

A bill, introduced by Representative Alan Morrison, was unanimously passed by the Committee on Public Policy. HB1168 seeks to impose a wagering tax on any bets placed through an advanced deposit wagering system and provides for the distribution of the tax revenues collected.

March 2016

Daily Fantasy Sports Bill, SB339, was signed into law by Governor Mike Pence. The bill will become effective from 01 July 2016; however, it is possible the licensing process will begin before this date. DFS operators conducting games in the state on 31 March 2016 may continue to do so until they are granted or denied a license. Initial license fees stand at a maximum of $75k, whilst annual renewal fees thereafter will cost $5k.

May 2016

The Gaming Commission intends to vote on the issuance of licenses for daily fantasy sports operators in March 2017 and aims to launch the industry in Q2 2017. DFS operators must submit a letter of intent by 01 August 2016 followed by a full application by 01 November 2016.

February 2017

House Representative Todd Huston introduced a bill to remove the tax on riverboat casino admissions and impose a 3% supplemental gross win tax. HB1350 would also reduce the maximum supplemental distributions to local communities from $48m to $30m. The bill was referred to the Committee on Public Policy for consideration.

Casino tax amendment bill, HB1350, was approved by the House and progressed to the Senate for consideration.

May 2017

Governor Eric Holcomb signed HB1350 into law to change the tax levied on casinos from a flat $3 per admission to a supplemental tax on gross win. The bill also included language to phase out an “add-back” tax which was previously paid only by casinos within eight-years.

July 2017

The Gaming Commission awarded the first daily fantasy sports licenses to Draft Kings, FanDuel and FantasyDraft ahead of the 01 July market launch. Other operators targeting the state under temporary licenses were instructed to cease as of 1 July 2017 until they secured a permanent license.

January 2018

Senator Jon Ford filed bill SB 405 to permit sports betting at racinos, satellite facilities and on riverboats provided PASPA is repealed. The bill would impose a 9.25% gross win tax and an initial licensing fee of $500,000 or 1% of adjusted gross receipts (whichever greater), plus a yearly administrative fee of $75,000. SB 405 was referred to the Committee on Public Policy for consideration.

Representative Alan Morrison introduced concurrent sports betting legislation into the House to permit sports betting at racinos, satellite facilities and on riverboats provided PASPA is repealed. HB 1325 was largely the same as SB 405, however, the House bill contained an additional integrity fee of 1% of turnover which would be directed to the governing bodies of the sports leagues.

October 2018

The State Committee on Public Policy voted 9-0 to recommend that the General Assembly consider legislation to regulate sports betting. The decision followed joint a hearing between the NCAA, NBA, Casino Association of Indiana, Gaming Laboratories LLC and the Indiana Gaming Commission. The Committee did not make any specific recommendations
over what any such legislation would permit.

January 2019

Senator Jon Ford introduced SB439 to authorize sports betting at land-based gambling facilities and via mobile devices across the state. The bill did not specify a tax rate at this point but did include provisions to allow betting on collegiate as well as professional sports.

February 2019

Senator Mark Messmer introduced SB552 to authorize sports betting at land-based gambling facilities and via mobile devices across the state as well as permit live table games at the state’s racetracks. The bill would require customers to register for mobile betting at a land-based facility and allow betting on collegiate as well as professional sports but did not specify a tax rate at this point.

The Senate approved SB552 to authorize land based, mobile and online sports betting. The bill progressed to the House for consideration.

April 2019

Indiana’s House Ways and Means Committee advanced SB552 to the House floor, the licensing fee was lowered to $90k from $10k and the tax rate set at 9.5% of gross revenues to keep barriers to entry low, 3.3% of the tax take would be ring fenced to address problem gambling issues in the state;
Indiana’s House of Representatives approved SB552, the bill will now return to the Senate for further debate, the state’s current legislative session runs to April 29

The House and Senate approved HB1015 to permit retail and mobile sports betting in the state.

May 2019

Governor Eric Holcomb signed HB1015 into law. The bill would allow the state’s licensed casinos, racinos and off-track betting parlours to operate landbased and mobile sports betting at a tax rate of 9.5% on gross win. Betting would be permitted on professional and collegiate events and the market is scheduled to go live on 01 September 2019.

July 2019

Indiana’s Gaming Commission released a draft of the state’s new sports betting regulations for public consultation and comment. The adoption of the final regulations has been scheduled for 28 August.

The Commission issued twelve (12) temporary sports betting permits to casinos and offtrack betting facilities ahead of the anticipated launch of its regulated sports betting market later in the year. The Temporary Certificate of Authority will apply to operators while their license applications are being processed.

August 2019

The Ameristar Casino in East Chicago and the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg scheduled their sports book launches for 1 September 2019. Additionally, the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond is expected to launch on 4 September 2019. The launches were dependant on the Gaming Commission granting its final approval to sports betting regulations on 28 August 2019;
The Gaming Commission granted its final approval to sports betting regulations on 28 August 2019.

September 2019

The Ameristar, Hollywood and Indiana Grand casinos launched their retail sport books on 1 September 2019. The Horseshoe Hammond and French Lick Casinos were scheduled to go live on 4 and 6 September respectively.
Rush Street Gaming and their land-based licensee partner, the French Lick Casino, were approved by the Gaming Commission to launch online sports betting from 3 October 2019.

October 2019

Rush Street Online and Draft Kings launched their online sports books on 3 October 2019. The operators and their respective land based partners; French Lick and Ameristar casinos were the first to go live in the state;
FanDuel launched their online sportsbook on 26 October 2019 in partnership with their land based licensee Blue Chip Casino.

November 2019

Churchill Downs Incorporated launched its new BetAmerica-branded retail sportsbook at the Rising Star Casino Resort in Rising Sun, Indiana. The new betting venue is an hour’s drive from Cincinnati, Ohio, and within two hours of Indianapolis, Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky. Subject to license approvals BetAmerica also plans to offer online sports betting across Indiana.

July 2020

Unibet launched its online sports betting platform on 30 July 2020 in partnership with the Horseshoe Hammond Casino, operated by Caesars.

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Is it legal to gamble for real money online in Indiana?

Gambling laws vary for each type of game. Online games are not permitted to be offered by onshore gaming operators. As a result, online operators are based offshore at regulated and licensed jurisdictions. Indiana players are accepted by the offshore operators. In regards, to player legality, the laws neither explicitly declare online gambling as illegal or legal. As a result Indiana players can continue to enjoy playing online games.

What is the legal minimum age to play at real money online casinos?

Legal minimum ages vary from online casino to online casino, however their requirement is that the higher of the player’s jurisdiction the the online casino’s own legal minimum is taken to be the determine age limit. Therefore, for Indiana players the legal minimum age is 21.