Caesars Interactive Entertainment on Sunday received approval from the Indiana Gaming Commission to go live with online/mobile sports betting on Tuesday.
The move comes as the sports world starts to slowly return after the COVID-19 public health crisis put it at a near standstill beginning in mid-March.
CIE’s mobile launch authorization follows last week’s licensing of Unibet for an upcoming launch in the Hoosier State. Earlier this month, theScore Bet received an IGC license to eventually offer sports betting.
A Caesars sportsbook will be the seventh online/mobile sportsbook to launch in the state, following these six launches over the past eight months:
- DraftKings: Oct. 3
- BetRivers: Oct. 3
- FanDuel: Oct. 22
- BetAmerica: Dec. 30
- BetMGM: Feb. 25
- PointsBet: March 5
Caesars will operate under the Horseshoe Casino Hammond, which was the top retail book in the state.
Caesars received its sports betting license in August.
All together, 12 entities have been licensed as sports betting vendors by regulators.
Caesars will have an uphill battle in the state to gain market share, as FanDuel and DraftKings, the two daily fantasy sports giants, have nearly 89% market share combined in terms of the handle.
State of the sports world
In terms of live sports, Indiana mobile books are offering bets on the likes of table tennis, darts, international soccer, Korean baseball, UFC, and NASCAR.
They’re also taking futures bets on MLB and NBA.
In April, Indiana online/mobile sportsbooks handled more than $26 million in wagers despite the meager wagering menu. Through April, Indiana’s sports betting industry has handled $895.3 million in wagers, more than $611 million of which came via the internet.
It’s still unclear whether there will be MLB games in 2020. The NBA is also still up in the air. Same goes for NCAA football. Many experts expect the NFL will have games this fall.
If there is baseball in 2020, it will happen under a comically restrictive set of rules. Are they merely inconveniences or more? At ESPN, a deep dive into the health protocol, what it says, what’s missing, why it’s necessary and what it means for baseball: https://t.co/Wezx32EiTk pic.twitter.com/6QooMls3vR
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 17, 2020