Indiana casinos are still recovering from the shutdown this year due to COVID-19, but October was another promising month for the state’s comeback in the realm of casino-style gambling.
According to figures made public Tuesday by the Indiana Gaming Commission, the casinos and their respective sports gambling apps won $175,254,968 from gamblers, the best month for the state since total gaming revenue was $203,572,543 in February.
The revenue was a small but meaningful increase over $171,417,375 in September.
Total revenue dipped to $1,559,884 in April, which was entirely sports betting win.
From the $175.2 million taken in last month, retail and online/mobile sports gambling accounted for $21,098,460, with $154,156,508 coming from slot machines and table games statewide.
The sports wagering revenue was a record for the state since sportsbooks opened in September 2019. The $21 million beat September’s $14,283,702, the second-best month for the books in terms of winnings.
Indiana sports gambling handle was $230,932,251, another record, eclipsing September’s $207,450,106.
Year-over-year comparison
The statewide casino-style gambling market was $179,044,486 in October 2019 ($11,538,533 of which was from sports betting), so despite sports betting being larger than it has ever been in the Hoosier State, overall gambling win still fell 2.2% in a year-over-year comparison.
Casinos are still not operating at full capacity due to the pandemic.
Non-sports betting revenue during October 2019 was $167,505,953, more than 8% greater than the slot and table game win last month. Without legalizing sports gambling in mid-2019, Indiana casinos would be struggling much more than they currently are.
The slow comeback for the Indiana gaming industry has prompted some state policymakers to already start the gears moving on considering an online casino bill in 2021. Many of the digital sports betting firms involved with the Indiana market offer online casino gambling in other markets, so it would be an easy transition for them to add online slots/table games in Hoosier State cyberspace, if permitted.
Michigan, which shares a border with Indiana, is expected to begin both online sports betting and online casino gaming later this year or in very early 2021, which is another component of the equation for the Indiana Legislature’s consideration of another gambling expansion bill.
When passing the gambling expansion package in 2019, which included the authorization of additional retail casinos, lawmakers indicated it would be awhile before another gambling bill would be considered. The pandemic has changed that.