When Indiana legalized sports betting in May 2019, sharp money was on DraftKings being one of the first mobile apps to market. It didn’t disappoint, going live with the state’s second sports betting site on October 3, mere weeks after Indiana casinos were given the green light to start taking wagers.
DraftKings is licensed by the Penn National operated Ameristar East Chicago in Indiana, taking advantage of a blockbuster deal that will see DraftKings and Penn National working together in multiple states where sports betting is legal.
As for the site itself, it’s solid, with an easy-to-navigate interface, niche offerings, top-notch teaser pricing, and a big welcome bonus for new players. But it’s not all roses, as DraftKings suffers from mediocre pricing in spots, and some tough wagering requirements on some of its bonuses.
Brand recognition is going to go a long way toward vaulting DK to the top of the Indiana sports betting market — let’s just hope it continues to strengthen its strengths and shore up its weaknesses. Read on for our comprehensive review of the book, including how you can cash in on its welcome package.
DraftKings Sportsbook bonus offer – September 2023
DraftKings is making a splash in Indiana by offering up a very attractive welcome bonus for new players. When you sign up using the links on this page, you will be eligible for an exclusive $50 Bonus Bet, plus a $1,000 Deposit Match bonus.
DraftKings Sportsbook bonus code and details
| 🎁 DraftKings Sportsbook IN Promo Code | N/A |
| 💸 Bonus Bet | $50 Bonus Bet |
| 💰 Deposit Match | 20% up to $1000 |
| 🏛️ Partners | Ameristar Casino/SBTech |
| ✅ Online Since | 2020 |
How it works
Our DraftKings Sportsbook IN welcome offer is a $50 Bonus Bet and a 20% first deposit match up to $1K. The Bonus Bet must be used within 30 days and pays out winnings only on winning wagers.
DK will also match 20% of your initial deposit amount with bonus cash up to $1000. Therefore, to make the most of the offer and receive the largest possible bonus, you would need to deposit $5,000 (20%).
Once you receive the bonus it can be a challenge to convert the funds from bonus money, to real money. There are wagering requirements. Users must wager their bonus dollars 25x in order to complete the conversion. For example, if you deposited $500 and were awarded $100 in bonus bucks (20%) – the offer would then require $2,500 ($100 x 25) in total wagers before the bonus dollars are completely converted to cash that can be withdrawn from the site. The bonus will expire, but thankfully it’s a pretty substantial 90-day limit.
Of note, you can also clear the bonus by playing in DFS contests on the site, too.
Things to like about DraftKings Sportsbook Indiana
- DFS integration: Indiana players that have an existing DraftKings daily fantasy account can make the transition to sports betting with ease, as account information and (to an extent) the wallet is shared between DK’s DFS site and online sportsbook.
- Niche offerings: Bettors looking for something a little bit different than the standard sports betting fare will love DraftKings Sportsbook, as it offers niche features like daily, weekly, and season-long betting pools. There’s also a flash bet feature, which is effectively an interface where players can quickly and easily place live, in-game wagers.
- Promos: DraftKings has really upped its promotional game of late, adding in a slew of offers that provide players with kickbacks in the form of bet protection, match bets, odds boosts, and other incentives. There is even a rewards program.
- Cashier: DraftKings keeps improving its cashier, adding a variety of depositing and withdrawal methods, many of which boast quick turnaround and high acceptance rates.
- Teaser pricing: DraftKings has a reputation for having some of the best teaser pricing on the scene. Despite swapping from tech provider Kambi to SBTech, DraftKings still does a good job of keeping its pricing competitive in many markets, including teasers.
Things not to like
- The juice trends higher on DraftKings compared to industry averages.
- Winners tend to have their betting limits lowered.
- Support only offers callbacks by phone, not a direct line.
Special offers and promos at DraftKings Sportsbook
Beyond the welcome bonus, new (and returning) players will find a lot of promotional value at DraftKings Sportsbook IN. While individually these offers aren’t exactly awe-inspiring, taken together they are at least incentivizing to players looking to get more bang for the buck.
Common offer types include:
- Insurance: For example, a promo might have players bet a parlay and refund them their stake if one-leg misses.
- Hard-luck refunds: Lose a tough bet, like having your football pick put up 25+ points and still lose, and get a refund.
- Daily odds boosts: Special hand-selected wagers that offer better than true odds. For instance, a bet that normally has +150 odds may be boosted to +200.
- Refer-a-friend: Players that refer their friends through a personal referral link, can win $100 in bonus bets, spread across 5 $20 bets. What’s more, the referred player will also be eligible for the bonus bets.
In addition, players often have the chance to participate in bonus to enter pools, and pick’em contests, with prize pools that cross the five- and six-figure thresholds.
The one downside of DraftKings’ promos are that the bonus caps are set pretty low. Take a recent parlay insurance promo, for example, which refunded players if one out of five or more legs lost, but only up to $25.
DraftKings Sportsbook: Loyalty program
DraftKings has instituted a loyalty program for its online sportsbook, and for that, we say thank you.
DraftKings Missions rewards players that complete tasks with a variety of goodies, including bonus bets, exclusive odds boosts, and more. The more you play, the more you win.
DraftKings has a similar program in place for daily fantasy sports players, where players can claim a mission each day, and are rewarded with virtual currency (Crowns) for completing the mission. Crowns can then be spent in the DK Shop, where players can purchase contest tickets, DraftKings branded clothing and tailgate goods.
Registering at DraftKings IN
To get started on DraftKings sportsbook simply follow the four-step registration process:
- Select a username and password and provide your email address
- Enter in your full name, address, date of birth and the last four digits of your social security number
- Secure your account: In order to create an account, players will have to pass a stringent security check, that verifies if their provided information checks out. This security feature is intended to protect player identities and funds.
- Confirm location: You can register from anywhere, but you can only bet with DraftKings if you’re physically located in a state where DraftKings sports betting is legal. In order to prove this, you’ll need a WiFi connection from a laptop or desktop, or a stable WiFi or 5G connection from a mobile device.
Once a player’s identity is verified, the account is created and the player is free to make a first deposit and claim the book’s welcome bonus. Note, that you do not have to be in Indiana to make a qualifying deposit, only to place real-money wagers. For example, you could deposit in neighboring Illinois and then cross the border to attend a game in Indianapolis and place bets while there.
DraftKings software snapshot
DraftKings Sportsbook IN offers its sports betting platform on both desktop and mobile devices, via Android and iOS powered devices.
However, the daily fantasy app is only integrated as part of the desktop software. On mobile, players will have to have two separate apps. On the plus side, there is a function within the sports betting app that allows players to quickly open DK’s DFS app.
Desktop platform
We give DraftKings Sportsbook a lot of credit for continually adding new features to its sports betting platform.
First the basics. The platform itself is rather drab, featuring a green on gray color scheme, but highly functional, with popular markets listed in a top navigational bar, and the main page providing quick access to live in-game events, broken down into markets. Game lines for select markets can also be quickly accessed from the homepage, and there is a quick betting feature for the most popular games of the day.
DraftKings also makes a point to display its best promotions at the top of the homepage. We appreciate this one, as all too often, sportsbooks hide their promotions behind a menu or two.
We really enjoyed DraftKings approach to its user interface, particularly how easy the book makes it to find bets. On most books, players have to select a market, and then a game to view all the wagers for that game. DraftKings does this too, but it goes the extra mile, by neatly categorizing every prop, alternative spread, and derivative into its own menu. It even provides game stats for the upcoming contest, that players may or may not find useful (just be wary of using these stats as the basis of your bet).
Alternatively, DraftKings IN offers a “bet type” view. So players who want to see a certain prop or derivative for ALL games within a market can do just that. It’s a neat nuance that grants players a lot of flexibility over how they bet.
Players can also access other nuanced features of the site, like Flash Bet and betting Pools, from the main menu (more on those later). And of course, all the account management features players have come to expect are available, like the cashier, bonus status menu, and account info.
One issue: we do wish the withdrawal menu was placed in a more accessible area — hiding it in the account information section comes off as borderline predatory, especially considering how visible the deposit icons are.
Finally, the bet slip is tucked away on the right-hand portion of the screen on desktop and functions exactly as it should: easily. Once a bet is selected, the bet slip populates with that wager. Add another bet, and players will be able to view the bet as a single, parlay, or round robin. Odds and payouts are clearly displayed for each bet type, and if the Teaser+ or Cash Out feature is eligible for your wager, the software will let you know.
Mobile app
The DraftKings IN mobile app, available as a direct download from mobile browsers for Android/iOS, and from the Apple App Store (iOS only), is effectively a clone of the desktop software. Nearly all the features from desktop have been ported to mobile, so bettors won’t have to worry about things like not finding bets or not being able to deposit from their mobile devices. It’s all there.
That being said, the mobile app (even on larger smartphones) feels a bit cramped. Players will often find themselves having to scroll to find their preferred bet type or market. It’s a minor inconvenience. More inconvenient is that the bet slip obscures the entire screen, so players will have to go back and forth between the betting menu and their bet slip. It’s not the end of the world, and in other areas, the mobile app shines.
Banking at DraftKings Sportsbook in Indiana
The DraftKings IN site offers a robust number of depositing options:
- Online banking: Safe and secure deposit method, where bettors allocate funds directly through their bank portal. Eligible banks include Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, PNC, TD Bank, and more.
- Visa/MasterCard: Apply your numbers in the requested fields and you’re all set.
- PayPal: Players that have an existing PayPal account should have little trouble using the popular eWallet to get funds on and off the site.
- Skrill: Third-party wallet designed for gambling transactions.
- Play+ Prepaid card: Players can sign up for a Play+ card, and load it with their credit or bank card. Great option for those who have had trouble depositing via other methods. You do not need the physical card to conduct transactions on DraftKings, but once you get one in the mail, it can be used wherever Discover is accepted, and as a debit card.
- Wire transfers: Transfer directly from your bank account to DraftKings. This is the only method where deposits don’t transfer instantaneously, instead taking a day or two to process.
DraftKings sets its deposit minimums exceedingly low at $5, which is perfect for casual players that like to take the occasional shot at a long shot parlay.
As for withdrawals, available methods include:
- Physical checks: Delivered through snail mail. Minimum $15, and will take between 7-14 days to reach your mailbox. Use this method only if others aren’t viable.
- PayPal: Perfect withdrawal method if you’re used to using PayPal for deposits.
- eChecks (ACH): Withdraw directly to your checking account.
- Cash picks up: In-person payments are available at Ameristar East Chicago, which is the land-based casino DraftKings Indiana is affiliated with. Unfortunately, it does not appear that players can make cash at the casino cage deposits at this time.
DraftKings betting lines
DraftKings Indiana mostly offers the standard -110 lines for pt. spreads across NBA and NFL. Occasionally, players will notice the odd -107/-114 or -113/-108 type line which is just a tad juicier than -110/-110.
Money lines for professional sports are a tick better than what players will find on BetRivers Indiana for example, and roughly on par with FanDuel Sportsbook. However, we did notice that FanDuel’s money lines tend to be better for college sports.
Parlay pricing is fair, with two-leggers paying +265 on even odds wagers, and three-leggers paying +597. That’s a smidge better than competing FanDuel.
DraftKings offers many two-way (yes/no) player and game props, but the pricing is pretty poor with lines like +100/-139 and -155/+110 the norm. The same goes for derivatives like 1st half/quarter scores, with lines generally set at around 35 to 40 cents. Not great. Fanduel does significantly better here.
Finally, in-game pricing is decent, but nothing to write home about, with live point spreads and totals set in the 25-30 cent range. We expect in-game lines to be higher than pregame, so these spreads didn’t come as a surprise.
Note: DraftKings does have a tendency to limit the wagers of players they suspect are long-term winners, more than most sites. So players looking to get serious about winning should be cognizant of that. They’ll still be able to bet, just maybe not get down as much as they’d like.
Betting markets
DraftKings offers a wide variety of betting markets. All the staples like NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA are well represented, along with tons of soccer leagues (over 80), more than 25 tennis leagues, and alternative sporting events like Australian rules football, cricket, cycling, darts, golf, and MMA.
In total, there are 15+ betting markets and over 150 different leagues represented. That’s quite the loaded menu, and we applaud DraftKings Sportsbook IN here for its diversity.
Bet types
DraftKings does a pretty incredible job compared to most legal online sportsbooks in Indiana and elsewhere in the area of bet diversity. Of course, there is the standard fare like point spreads, totals, money lines, and futures, but beyond that DraftKings offers:
- Derivatives: DraftKings offers lines on periods, quarters, halves, and props based around these segments.
- Game props: Two-way (yes/no) props are found in abundance at DraftKings Indiana.
- Other props: Team and players props typically number in the dozens for major sporting events. Most of these are two-way props.
- Round robin: A variation of parlays where players select 3 or more bets they like and divide them into multiple parlays.
- Teasers: Teasers give bettors the option to apply a set number of points to the spread across parlay bets to give them a better shot at a win.
- Cash outs: Players can cash out their pregame tickets (on select wagers) early in order to lock up a smaller win, or minimize losses. Do note that players will have to pay an additional VIG if they elect to cash out.
There are also two betting nuances that are currently completely unique to DraftKings. They are:
- Flash Bet: This format represents a leap forward for in-game betting. Flash Bet offers an interface where embedded graphics illustrate a match in real-time, with in-depth descriptions of what’s happening moment-to-moment. It also allows players to establish a wager for the next point, and view a timeline of their wagers. Payouts are awarded within seconds. Currently, this format is limited to tennis, but look for it to expand soon.
- Pools: These are pick’em and vs. spread contests where players compete against one another for a guaranteed prize pool. Simply pay the fee to enter the contest, make your selections and hope you come out near or at the top of the leaderboard. Multiple entries are generally allowed.
Does DraftKings have a retail sportsbook in Indiana?
DraftKings does not have a branded retail sportsbook in the Hoosier State. However, it is partnered with Ameristar East Chicago, and through that partnership was able to receive a sports betting license in August 2019. This paved the way for the launch of DraftKings Sportsbook Indiana in early October 2019.
Ameristar is parented by Penn National, which recently forged an agreement with DraftKings (and other sports betting operators). This agreement will enable DraftKings to enter multiple states where mobile sports betting is legalized.
