The Indiana Gaming Commission issued a mobile launch authorization to PointsBet Sportsbook on Wednesday, further adding to an already competitive market for sports betting in the Hoosier State.
PointsBet is entering its third state and second in the Midwest, having launched in Iowa in partnership with Catfish Bend Casino in November. PointsBet, which is also operational in New Jersey, is entering the Indiana market as part of a July 2019 agreement with Penn National Gaming and will be a second skin at Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg.
“The PointsBet team is excited to enter Indiana – our third state of operation – where we look forward to providing the sports-loving community in the Hoosier State with the premium sports betting product they deserve,” PointsBet CEO Johnny Aitken said in a statement emailed to Hoosier State Bets.
PointsBet is authorized to start taking bets Thursday.
PointsBet becomes sixth mobile option in Indiana
PointsBet joins an active mobile sports betting market in the Hoosier State and will be the sixth option available to bettors. Prior to Wednesday’s approval, BetMGM was the most recent entry into Indiana after being approved Feb. 25.
Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg is one of the largest retail sportsbooks in Indiana, posting a handle of $7.7 million in January, trailing only Horseshoe Hammond among the Hoosier State’s nine Las Vegas-style casinos.
With no in-person registration needed to open an account, sports betting has been particularly robust in Indiana and has cleared at least $90 million in overall handle each of the four months since mobile betting has been available. The mobile handle alone has surpassed $95 million in each of the last three months, reaching a high of $123.3 million in January. That accounted for just over 72% of the overall handle, which was also a record at $170.8 million.
DraftKings has been the dominant mobile platform since mobile betting went live in October, but as the number of options has increased, its market share has decreased. After surpassing 82% in the opening month of mobile sports betting, it has gradually dropped to just over 53% in January.
