The competition just got a lot stiffer.
On Tuesday at around noon local time, FanDuel’s online/mobile sportsbook opened its virtual doors. It followed two FanDuel retail sportsbook openings last month.
FanDuel’s launch gives Hoosiers three platforms to gamble on. On Oct. 3, Rush Street Interactive launched its BetRivers platform. DraftKings did as well later that same day.
The Indiana Gaming Commission gave FanDuel its launch authorization just a few days ago.
BetRivers and DraftKings outsourced their odds (prices) to the tech firm Kambi. FanDuel did not, so consumers will find different prices to choose from.
FanDuel is the market leader in New Jersey, the emerging king of legal and regulated sports wagering in the United States. FanDuel is now live in four jurisdictions.
The launch of the company’s online webpage and mobile app in Indiana comes in the wake of a massive deal that saw FanDuel’s parent company Flutter Entertainment agree to acquire The Stars Group, which powers the FOX Bet sportsbook (formerly BetStars). Even before the blockbuster deal, TSG had a path to market access in the Hoosier State. It appears likely that FOX Bet will eventually launch in Indiana.
Indiana law allows its casino licensees to have three sports betting partners, otherwise known as skins.
FanDuel partnered with Boyd Gaming and its Blue Chip and Belterra casino properties.
To generate more brand awareness in the Indiana market, FanDuel earlier this month formed an exclusive one-season-long partnership with the Indianapolis Colts.
Bonus offer
To build its customer base, FanDuel is offering Hoosiers a one-time, “risk-free” bet up to $500. DraftKings and BetRivers have similar offers for new customers.
Your first bet, up to $500, will be refunded back to your account within 72 hours if it loses. If you have a betting slip with multiple wagers on it, the promotion applies to the first selection you made.
The catch is that the refund is non-withdrawable. In other words, it isn’t free money. It’s credit on the platform. The idea, of course, is to keep you gambling on the platform.
There’s also a play-through requirement. You must gamble with all of it in order to receive any winnings derived from using your promotion bonus. For example, if you make a $500 deposit and wager $500 and lose and receive the $500 in site credit, you must make $500 worth of bets within 14 days in order to cash out any winnings derived from that site credit.
Additionally, you can only use the site credit in the promotional offer on bets that are -200 or shorter. For example, you can’t satisfy the play-through requirement by betting on a -2000 favorite.
According to FanDuel’s website, it’s the same promotion it offers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to claim the bonus more than once, even if you travel to a different state, per the sportsbook’s terms and conditions page.