Breaking Down The Indiana Sports Betting Regulations

• Indiana passed their sports betting measure, IN HB 1015 in April and was signed into law on May 8.
• The regulations must undergo a public hearing before the Indiana Gaming Commission can approve and launch sports betting.
• Mobile betting was legalized; however, the launch of the brick and mortar sportsbooks will occur several months before the online platforms.

INDIANAPOLIS – Sports betting plans in Indiana are progressing well as the Indiana Gaming Commission released the proposed sports betting regulations for the state.

The regulations must undergo a public comment period first before they are finalized.

The earliest they could be approved by the IGC would be September 1, which also stands as the date that they sportsbook could launch, assuming they are approved for their sports betting license.

Assuming all regulations are approved, the industry in Indiana will start with retail, or brick and mortar, sports betting locations only. The adoption of mobile betting would likely come later in 2020, as apps must be developed and tested before the bettors can get started wagering from their phone.

According to the regulations, bettors would not need to sign up at a licensed casino for the online platform, but rather begin their account creation from anywhere. Betting will be limited to in-state operations only though, per federal laws.

When betting at the land-based books, bettors would be able to place wagers with cash, credit or debit cards (assuming the bettor has an account), promotional funds, and casino chips. This includes action at both the ticket windows and the self-service kiosks that will be made available.

However, one of the biggest outliers from Indiana’s regulations compared to other states is their section on restricting in-arena wagers.

In short, the IGC has the ability to lock bettors out of the online platforms if they are located within a sports arena and are attempting to wager on the game they are watching.

This won’t be a standard across the board, but the regulations leave the option up to the IGC. In order for the ban to occur, a sports governing body (such as the NFL or NCAA) would have to request in writing to the IGC that integrity issues are at play. They must also provide a reasonable reason as to why the integrity of the sport or game is at risk.

This includes the agreeance from an “independent integrity monitoring provider” who shall report unusual betting activity to the IGC.

The 24-page regulations also detail certain requirements by the IGC, prohibit certain participants (players, coaches, etc.) from sports betting, and lay out the taxation paperwork and contributions that the sportsbooks must adhere to.

Though sports betting in Indiana is now legal, it won’t officially launch until gambling facilities around the state are accepting wagers and take the number of live sports betting states into the double-digits.

News tags: IN HB 1015 | Indiana | Indiana Gaming Commission | mobile betting