The return of college and professional football reflected in record-setting sports wagering in Indiana in September.
PlayIndiana.com’s analysis of Indiana gaming data found $355.4 million in sports wagers were made in in the state in September, generating $33.3 million in revenue.
“Football remains king, even when the Colts get off to a slow start as they did in September,” said Nicole Russo, an analyst for PlayIndiana.com. “A busy schedule of Indiana, Notre Dame, and Purdue football certainly helped boost interest, too (but) the bottom line, though, is that the state’s industry continues to grow and mature and that will likely lead to even stronger months ahead as baseball’s postseason starts and the NBA returns.”
Online and retail sportsbooks generated a record $355.4 million in bets in September, edging the previous record of $348.2 million set in January, PlayIndiana.com said.
September’s handle was up 71.3% from $207.5 million in September 2020 and up 64.8% from $215.6 million in August, as bettors increased the pace of betting to $11.8 million per day over the 30 days of September. That is up from $6.9 million per day in September 2020 and $7 million per day in August.
Gross gaming revenue reached $33.3 million, topping the previous record of $31.7 million set in January. September’s revenue was up 196.4% from $11.2 million in September 2020 and up 99.4% from $16.7 million in August.
Taxable revenue landed at $33.9 million in September, yielding $3.3 million in state taxes, PlayIndiana.com said.
Through the year’s first nine months, Indiana’s sportsbooks have combined to generate $2.4 billion in wagering and $206.6 million in gross gaming revenue, already surpassing the $136.4 million in revenue on $1.8 billion wagered in all of 2020.
September featured a full college football schedule and three full weekends of NFL football, and bettors made wagers in droves as a result. Football attracted $148.6 million in wagering in September, which is gain from the $48.4 million wagered on football in September 2020. Interest in the Colts remained strong even as they started 0-3, and sportsbooks even got a boost with the surprising Cincinnati Bengals.
Baseball was a popular bet, too, drawing $52.9 million in wagering in September. That is up from $30.5 million in September 2020.
Online betting produced $320.1 million in wagers, 90.1% of September’s handle. DraftKings led online operators with a $130.4 million handle in September, down from $74.2 million in August.
September’s bets produced $7.2 million in gross receipts, up from $4.4 million in August. FanDuel was again No. 2 in the state with $77.2 million in online wagering, up from $52.6 million in August.
