Bookmaker William Hill and Eldorado Resorts’ Tropicana Evansville casino in southwest Indiana are moving closer to opening a sportsbook.
On Tuesday, William Hill was awarded a temporary vendor license from the Indiana Gaming Commission to operate a retail sportsbook at the casino. William Hill has an existing relationship with Eldorado’s Tropicana Atlantic City, a business that includes online/mobile sports wagering. The two companies entered into an exclusive nationwide sports betting partnership in late 2018.
It’s unclear when William Hill might launch online/mobile sports wagering in Indiana. State gaming regulators are moving quickly, and the first online/mobile platforms are expected to launch later this year. The first brick-and-mortar sportsbooks are expected to open early next month, though it’s not clear when Tropicana Evansville will open its book.
As of Wednesday, William Hill was the fifth sports betting vendor approved by the state. The others are:
- FanDuel (Belterra Casino Resort and Blue Chip Casino)
- Rush Street Interactive (French Lick Resort)
- Caesars Interactive Entertainment (Horseshoe Casino Hammond)
- Penn Sports Interactive (Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg)
As for the casinos, in mid-July they received temporary certificates of authority to offer sports betting.
Timeline
Regulators are expected to adopt draft sports betting regulations at the IGC’s Aug. 28 hearing. From there, it’s up to the books to make preparations to open. Under Indiana law, sports betting cannot begin until Sept. 1. There is no date in the law with regard to when online/mobile can begin.
At least a handful of sportsbooks are expected to open in early September ahead of, or right around, the start of the NFL and college football seasons. Fourteen casinos have been approved for betting.
Indiana regulators have already released a list of sports that the casinos are allowed to take bets on.