You can bet on golfers chasing their PGA Tour dreams.
On Tuesday, the Indiana Gaming Commission updated its list of approved events for sports wagering to include the Korn Ferry Tour, a so-called developmental tour for the PGA Tour.
The Korn Ferry Tour Championship, which has a $1 mm purse, kicks off this weekend at the Victoria National Golf Club in southwestern Indiana, just outside Evansville, home to the Tropicana Casino. Eldorado Resorts’ Tropicana Casino Evansville, which partnered with William Hill for sports betting, is expected to open its retail book ahead of the first NFL game of the season, though it’s unclear which day.
Come Monday afternoon, @PGATOUR cards will be won and lost on the par-4 18th hole @TourChampULF @GolfVNGC.
Cumulative seven-year scoring average: 4.434.#KornFerryTour pic.twitter.com/BecPOkaKVH
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) August 27, 2019
The Indiana Gaming Commission meets Wednesday in Indianapolis to approve emergency rules to allow sports betting to begin Sept. 1. Some casinos have already made plans for opening on the first day they are allowed to do so under the new sports betting law, while others will begin taking bets in the following days or weeks. Online/mobile betting is expected to begin this fall.
It’s unclear if any casino in the state requested that the Korn Ferry Tour be added to the list, as the IGC already had approved Web.com sponsored golf events for betting. In June, the PGA Tour announced a new 10-year deal with California consulting firm Korn Ferry to replace Web.com as the satellite tour’s sponsor.
If the sportsbook at Tropicana Evansville opens before the championship is over, it could, like every casino in the state approved for sports gambling, take legal sports bets on the event. Tropicana Evansville is located less than a 30-minute drive for golf fans at the VNGC.
The Korn Ferry Tour Championship appears to be a common offering on offshore, illegal sportsbooks, so Indiana gaming regulators adding it to the approved list provides legal operators an opportunity to compete with their illicit competitors.
The championship event is expected to be popular on a local level, with extensive media coverage.
Preview of The Korn Ferry Tour with @JohnRawlingsTV pic.twitter.com/hfaYJX1WgJ
— Andrew Garcia (@angarciatv) August 26, 2019
