A pair of Caesars casinos in the state of Indiana this week announced that their respective sportsbooks will simply be called “The Book,” and retail betting at the casinos will begin in September.
Though no official date was given for the openings, Indiana’s sports betting law allows books to open Sept. 1, just days before Week 1 of the NFL season.
Horseshoe Southern Indiana and Horseshoe Hammond, both owned by Las Vegas-based Caesars Entertainment Corp., informed the public on Twitter about the decision to officially call the respective venues The Book. It’s pretty common for the gambling public to refer to any sportsbook as simply a “book” for brevity’s sake, so the decision by Caesars is a rather natural one.
Both casinos received temporary sports betting permits last month, along with 11 other properties. The Indiana Gaming Commission has also released draft regulations for sports betting.
We are excited to announce the The Book will be coming to Horseshoe Southern Indiana in September! As more details emerge, we'll be sure to share them here! It will be a whole new experience in sports betting for our guests. Who's ready?! pic.twitter.com/UMXuaOr0e2
— Caesars Southern Indiana (@CaesarsSI) August 5, 2019
Sports betting is coming to Indiana and Horseshoe Hammond has you covered! pic.twitter.com/3qrgSCbSO5
— Horseshoe Hammond (@HorseshoeHammnd) August 4, 2019
In 2020, Horseshoe Southern Indiana will rebrand as Caesars Southern Indiana.
In addition, Caesars’ two racinos near Indianapolis — Harrah’s Hoosier Park and Indiana Grand Racing & Casino — will be able to offer sports betting. And finally, Caesars’ off-track betting facilities in downtown Indianapolis, Clarksville, and New Haven will be equipped with sports betting.
Caesars began updating the seven aforementioned facilities in June, per the Indiana Business Journal.
Launch date up to operators
It’s unclear which gambling facility in the state will be first to debut brick-and-mortar sports betting, but the safe bet is on one or more of the Caesars properties.
Penn National Gaming, owner of the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, could also be first or among the first group of properties to kick off sports betting. Boyd Gaming, owner of Indiana’s Blue Chip Casino and the Belterra Casino Resort, also has extensive experience with sports betting in other states and too could begin sports betting early next month.
Altogether, there are 16 gambling facilities eligible for a license from the state to conduct sports betting. Indiana gaming regulators are set to approve the sports betting regulations at their Aug. 28 meeting in Indianapolis. From there, once the Sept. 1 date rolls around, it’s up to individual properties on their respective timelines for taking their first legal bets.
