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Indiana Betting Market Explained

The US recently relaxed its federal laws against gambling, giving states the green light to set their own legislature on the subject. This had led to some big changes, with lots of states fully legalizing all forms of gambling within their borders. If you’re in Indiana, you’ll be among those that can now legally bet online, although there are still restrictions in place over how and where you can place wagers. 

In 2019, the state of Indiana officially legalized sports betting, allowing those in the state to place bets on sports both online and in person. It wasn’t long after this law was passed that the first online sportsbooks started to appear, and if you’re in Indiana, you now have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to top sportsbooks. Take a look at our full guide on Indiana online betting below. 

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Which Forms of Betting Are Allowed in Indiana

For now, sports betting is the only form of betting allowed in the state. A gambling law passed by the Indiana legislature in 2019 made sports betting legal, letting persons 21 and older bet on major league games in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. This law includes both online and in-person betting, meaning those in Indiana have a choice between lots of different sportsbooks.

The change in law was commemorated by Governor Eric Holcomb, who placed the state’s first legal bet on the Indianapolis Colts to win the Superbowl and the Indiana Pacers to win the NBA championship. For now, other forms of gambling are still banned in the state, meaning that sports betting remains the only way to legally bet in Indiana. You can also claim a USA bonus at these sportsbooks too.

Indiana online casinos

Betting Restrictions in Indiana

While sports betting has been legalized, there are still rules and restrictions in place to ensure that the market is properly controlled. For starters, all sportsbooks that operate in the state must be licensed by the Indiana Gaming Commission. Before you sign up to place bets at a site, check that it has a license to make sure any bets you place are safe. 

Secondly, you’re only able to place bets at Indiana sportsbooks if you’re at least 21 years old. This rule is to protect minors from gambling, and you must verify your ID before placing a bet, whether online or in person. Wagering on high school and amateur youth sporting events is illegal in Indiana. However, betting on NCAA Division I sports is permitted.

If you want to bet online at any of the licensed Indiana sportsbooks, you’ll also need to be within the state borders when you place your bet. As with the ID, sites will verify your location to make sure you’re within the Hoosier state when you place your bet. However, you can still sign up to an Indiana sportsbook if you’re not a resident of Indiana and are just visiting. 

Online Gambling in Indiana FAQ

Are Online Sportsbooks Legal in Indiana?

Yes, online sportsbooks are now legal in Indiana, provided you’re at least 21. There are lots of great sites to choose from, including DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetRivers.

Are Online Casinos Legal in Indiana?

No, operating and playing at online casinos is currently illegal in the state, although some players still play at off-shore sites.

Are Online Poker Sites Legal in Indiana?

No, online poker is illegal in Indiana, and there aren’t currently any plans to change this.

New UKGC Reports Show Growth in Esports Suspicious Event Reports

The betting integrity reports have been released by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). These reports contain a detailed analysis of all sports betting activities in the UK, based on briefs sent in from sports governing bodies, betting operators, sport and betting trade associations, and law enforcement representatives.

The report helps the UKGC identify rising complexities in sports betting like match-fixing and gameplay disruptions so they can be adequately handled. Savvy bettors can benefit from the information in the reports, and they can make better-informed decisions when betting on esports.

Unfortunately, the current reports have evoked concerns about the events in esports. Football alone accounted for 44% of the reported integrity issues. Tennis followed next with 21% and esports with 20%. Other sports contributed to the remaining 15% (iGaming Business, 2021).

This is the first report published since the policy on all licensees submitting details of integrity issues to the Gambling Commission’s Sports Betting Intelligence Unit was implemented on April 1. The policy was part of an amendment to the UKGC’s license Condition and Codes of Practice in October 2020.

UKGC

Factors Affecting Esports Betting Integrity

With the rise in popularity of esports among professional bettors mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several reports have been received on issues that potentially influence the different games under esports (Esports Insider, 2020).

Some of these issues may be classified under the following:

  • Technological issues
  • Institutional issues
  • Player issues

Esports relies on the internet, hence a lot of concerns have arisen due to glitches during the game of play, game bugs that may cause issues, favoring a player over another, and the rising issue of deliberate server attacks by hackers.

Many institutions are known to have corrupt officials and technicians that have the power to illegally influence a game, and several of these institutions do not have a responsible gambling policy in place to protect their players.

The players too are not left out of the situation, as some of them are guilty of taking certain substances to enhance their performance. Some players also agree to match-fixing and abuse their opponents physically and mentally to get an edge over them (Liebertpub, 2021).

Plans by the UKGC for the Sports Betting Industry

The UK Gambling Commission has released the yearly Action Plan for the Sports Betting Integrity. It details the Sports Betting Integrity Forum (SBIF) objectives for keeping the sports betting industry in Britain as safe as possible. The objectives include accommodating the effects of the recent pullout from the EU by the UK government and COVID-19 (iGaming Business, 2021).

In addition to this, the regulatory body also empowered SBIF to redesign its official website to make resources on betting integrity more accessible. This serves as an educational resource for the Betting industry in the UK as it comes in the form of a training module.

Sources:

  1. iGaming Business, 2021
    https://igamingbusiness.com/gambling-commission-integrity-data-shows-growth-in-esports-reports/
  2. Liebertpub, 2021
    https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/glr2.2020.0017
  3. Esports Insider, 2020
    https://esportsinsider.com/2020/04/esi-gambling-report-esports-betting/

A Guide to Legal Gambling in Colorado

It’s no secret that the nature of gambling regulations in the US varies from state to state, with some states legalizing all forms of gambling, others legalizing some types, and some states not allowing any form of gambling at all. The state of Colorado falls into the second of the three gambling legalization categories listed above.

Staying updated on which states allow some or all types of gambling and which states don’t could be a lot to keep up with, but it also could be the difference between gambling at a safe online casino and gambling at one that’s illegal and unlicensed. 

The first step to figuring out Colorado’s gambling laws is knowing what the state defines gambling as. Going by the constitution of the Rocky Mountain State, “risking money or any other thing of value for gain contingent in whole or part upon lot, chance, or the happening or outcome of an event over which the person taking a risk has no control.” (FindLaw, 2016)

According to Colorado Law, gambling at the Colorado Lottery is one form of gambling that is legal, alongside limited gaming in Colorado casinos in Central City, Cripple Creek, Black Hawk, and on Indian reservation land. The constitution always allows gambling on live and off-track horse racing events under the Colorado Division of Gaming, bingos, and raffles licensed and regulated under the Secretary of State’s office, sports betting, as well as what the law deems as “social” gambling. (Specialized Business Group, Colorado Department of Revenue, 2021)

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Internet Gaming in Colorado

In 2005, the office of the Attorney General released an official statement which claimed that online gambling fell under all the already existing gambling laws in the state. That means, technically, online gambling is not allowed in Colorado. Residents of the state can still access gambling sites based offshore, though. Placing wagers on those sites and sportsbooks is considered illegal, even if they are legal and licensed in the places where they are set up.

A policy set up by the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission restricts businesses and people licensed in Colorado’s casino industry from being involved in any way with any offshore internet gaming site that can be accessed by residents of the state. 

While online gambling is classified as illegal in Colorado, no one has ever been arrested for casual gambling at any online gambling sites. This is mostly because much of the law in the state focuses on illegal gambling businesses and professional gambling, as opposed to casual gaming customers. 

The state recommends that players stay away from gambling not only because it is illegal, but because there are no state regulatory controls that can guarantee that games are conducted fairly and that children are prevented from accessing gambling sites. Participants who get locked in disputes and complaints over payments with online casinos or telephone sportsbooks can take no benefits or resolutions from state agencies.

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Sports Betting in Colorado

May 2020 saw Colorado become one of the US states that offered legal sports betting after voters approved legislative referral Proposition DD (House Bill 1327). Colorado Proposition DD, the Legalize Sports Betting with Tax Revenue for Water Projects Measure, was passed in 2019 after recording a narrow 51 percent – 48 percent win at state ballots.

The bill authorized sports betting while also levying a 10 percent tax on proceeds made by sports betting operators in the state. Proposition DD’s success at the ballots meant that casino properties in the state could apply for online and retail sports betting licenses from the Colorado Gaming Control Commission.

Despite a slow start caused by the global pandemic, the sports betting market in Colorado grew steadily after its launch, recording a total of $2.3 billion in wagers after one year. That figure was released by the Colorado Division of Gaming, and it put the state behind only New Jersey and Illinois for total sports wagers after the first 12 months of operations. The absence of in-person registration restrictions and in-state college sports betting in the Centennial State has made it one of the most attractive legal sports betting states in the country.

How to Take Part in Colorado Gambling

Your gambling options in Colorado include anyone of the following:

  • Limited casino gaming at casino properties in gaming towns. (Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek.)
  • State Lottery. 
  • Live and off-track horse racing. 
  • Licensed bingo and raffle games. 

Residents of the state can also take part in poker tournaments as long as those activities fall under the social gambling umbrella. Regulated sports betting in Colorado launched in May 2020. 

Sources

  1. FindLaw, 2016 – https://statelaws.findlaw.com/colorado-law/colorado-gambling-laws.html
  2. Specialized Business Group, Colorado Department of Revenue, 2021.  – https://sbg.colorado.gov/what-is-legal-gambling-questions-in-colorado
  3. Colorado Department of Law and Attorney General’s Office News Release, 2005. – https://sbg.colorado.gov/sites/sbg/files/Illegal%20Gambling%20Activities%20News%20Release.pdf

Online Gambling in Illinois Explained

Illinois is one of the many US states to have relaxed gambling laws within recent years, with the state now permitting online and retail sports betting alongside horse racing and riverboat casinos. Charitable games are also allowed, as are bingo and raffles. However, several other forms of gambling are still prohibited in the Prairie State, and certain restrictions exist on the types that are allowed. Understanding what these restrictions are and when they are valid is crucial to staying away from prohibited gaming activities. 

Gambling in Illinois is defined as “playing games of chance or skill for money or other things of value; wagering upon games, contests, or elections; owning or operating gambling devices.” Both live and off-track horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering is allowed in Illinois as long as operators remain licensed with the state’s racing control board. Riverboat gambling is also allowed on any navigable stream not found within counties that have over 3 million residents. Lake Michigan is a notable exception to the riverboat gambling permissions. (Find Law, 2016)

Illinois also allows retail and online sports betting for already existing land-based licensees, but restrictions on remote registration are in place for online sports betting. That means players can only access any of the six online sportsbooks in the state after carrying out in-person registration. The Illinois Gaming Board regulates sports betting, while the Illinois Lottery Control Board (ILCB) and the Department of the Lottery (DOL) control lotteries within the state.   

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Illinois Gambling History

As far as internet gaming is concerned, the state of Illinois does not have a regulated market. That’s not to say that the state doesn’t have any sort of gambling history, though. In 1920, Illinois legalized horse racing betting at local race tracks as its first major form of legal gambling. 

That law was followed by the Riverboat Gambling Act of 1990. The Riverboat Gambling Act allowed commercial casinos to operate on boats as long as they were outside Lake Michigan, as well as counties with populations greater than 3 million. The state permitted local bars, restaurants, and drive-ins to host Illinois Lottery terminals in 2009. A new bill passed in 2019 allowed riverboat casinos to operate within specific locations in the state as fully licensed land-based casinos. There haven’t been any new gambling laws since then.   

The land-based casino scene in Illinois includes 9 riverboat casinos and one land-based casino scattered around the state. These casinos offer over 10,000 slot machines and 500 table games combined. Rivers Casino became the first land-based casino in the state after being granted a land-based casino license in 2019. Before then, Rivers had qualified as a riverboat casino by building its property above a shallow pool of water. (Chicago Tribune, 2019)

Riverboat casinos in the state are allowed to operate live poker rooms but are prohibited from offering real money poker sites to residents. Live poker is also operated at charitable gaming venues. 

Internet Gaming in Illinois

According to section 28 of the State Code, it is illegal for residents of Illinois to carry out unlicensed internet gambling operations. The law makes it outright impossible to set up an online casino business in Illinois, but it fails to state any form of punishment for residents who participate in online gaming with offshore sites.  

The state of internet gaming in Illinois might be set for some change in the future as house bill SB-0007 continues to gain traction within legislative spaces. The bill, introduced back in 2017, seeks to expand land-based gaming and legalize online gambling within the state. 

Sports Betting in Illinois

In June 2019, governor J.B Pritzker signed the sports betting bill into law, allowing retail and online sports betting in the state. The bill stated that online-only operators could only get their sports betting licenses after 18 months from when the bill was passed. Sportsbook operators in the state bypassed that waiting time by partnering with casino operators in the state for retail and online licenses. (ActionNetwork, 2021)

Illinois sports betting continues to rise in prominence, with the state now firmly establishing itself within the top five US sports betting markets. That rise has come in spite of restrictions placed on state-based college sports betting and remote registration for online betting.  

How to take part in Illinois Gambling 

Residents of Illinois can take part in any of the following legal forms of gambling:

  • Casino gambling at any of the land-based casinos in the state. 
  • Retail sports betting
  • Online Sports Betting (with in-person registration)
  • Lotteries
  • Charitable Bingo
  • Horse Racing

Illinois law states that players must be at least 18 before they can take part in pari-mutuel wagering, bingo, and lotteries. The minimum age for casinos and sports betting is 21 years. 

Sources

  1. Find Law, 2016 -https://statelaws.findlaw.com/illinois-law/illinois-gambling-laws.html
  2. Chicago Tribune, 2019 – https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-rivers-casino-land-based-20191108-b4zc7v2clnbhfiqwqw5uyaznwm-story.html
  3. Action Network, 2021 – https://www.actionnetwork.com/online-sports-betting/illinois

Flutter, Fox and FanDuel Deal Close to Conclusion

US News and sports broadcasting powerhouse Fox News could yet become sports betting stakeholder soon as it sets to acquire some interest in Flutter Entertainment-owned sports betting giant, FanDuel. An initial stake in the sportsbook brand, distinguished as a frontrunner in the US sports betting market for a while now, was purchased by Flutter in 2018, with the company to own 95% of the bookie as of last December.

flutter-entertainment

Existing Fox and Flutter Relationship

Fox Sports Media Group, Fox Corporation’s primary subsidiary, owns the Fox Sports 1 & 2 and Fox Sports Radio channels, as well as FOX Bet. The latter was created in partnership with Canadian gaming company The Stars Group as a sports betting platform in which Fox holds a 5% share. The joint venture between both companies also gave Fox the right to purchase 50% of the Canadian online gambling company’s US business over the next ten years. 

In 2020, Flutter Entertainment merged with TSG in a $6 billion deal that added FOX Bet to the former’s portfolio, which already included Betfair, PokerStars, Paddy Power, and FanDuel. Quite notably, the merger also granted Fox a 2.6% stake in Flutter, as well as an option to purchase an 18% share in FanDuel (The Motley Fool, 2021).

As of December last year, things seemed very rosy between both companies as Fox backed Flutter’s move to acquire a majority stake in FanDuel. Speaking on Flutter’s FanDuel move, CEO of Fox Corporation Lachlan Murdoch said: “Fox’s investment in Flutter underscores our confidence in Flutter’s business and its management’s ability to continue to drive leadership in the US market” (The Irish Times, 2021).

Differing Valuations

Flutter’s acquisition of TSG presented Fox with an option to acquire an 18.5% stake in FanDuel after its equity stake was transferred to Flutter. That option was set to be activated this month, but both companies have run into a valuation argument that has seen Fox’s owners launch legal action against Flutter. Fox argues that its option to acquire stakes in FanDuel this month should be valid along the valuation lines Flutter exercised in December of last year; Flutter disagrees. Flutter CEO Peter Jackson stated that Fox must pay a fair market rate in July 2021 by two investment banks. (Nasdaq, 2021)

Jackson, speaking during Flutter’s first-quarter earnings conference call where the company broke down the contribution made by each asset in its portfolio, explained that FanDuel accounts for 91.6% of the company’s revenue, with FOX Bet and PokerStars amounting to just 8.4%. 

There is a feeling that both companies could yet settle the dispute amicably, with the potential for both sides to make major upsides from expanded cooperation serving as a motivator if Flutter Entertainment goes ahead with its IPO consideration for FanDuel.

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Sources

  1. The Irish Times, 2021 – https://www.irishtimes.com/business/retail-and-services/can-flutter-find-friends-again-in-fox-to-deliver-on-us-online-gambling-promise-1.4610065
  2. The Motley Fool, 2021 – https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/06/09/fanduel-sports-betting-partnership-gives-fox-34-up/
  3. Nasdaq, 2021 – https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/will-a-fanduel-and-fox-partnership-be-a-sports-betting-powerhouse-2021-06-18

GAN Signs Multi-Year Agreement with Incredible Technologies

GAN Limited, an internet gaming service provider for companies in the online gambling industry, announced on Thursday, June 17, that it has entered an agreement with Incredible Technologies, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of coin-operated electronic gaming machines for the US market.

The agreement grants GAN Limited exclusive online rights to all existing and future online games by Incredible Technologies, which are expected to grow to over 110 during the term of the contract. This is GAN’s second major agreement for exclusive gaming content, reinforcing the SaaS company’s position as an industry leader in the United States’ iGaming sphere.

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About Incredible Technologies Inc.

Incredible Technologies is an Illinois-based company known for its array of innovative electronic gaming machines, including popular ones such as Crazy Money and Money Rain. Its games line the floors of retail casino gaming outlets in the United States and are accessible online in New Jersey. With this deal, the company will be able to grow its online portfolio while working long-term with a partner that has a well-established online distribution chain in the country. This was made known in a statement by Daymon Ruttenburg, the Senior Vice President of Gaming of Incredible Technologies.

“Our partnership with a proven and premier partner like GAN advances the online U.S. distribution of our leading portfolio of gaming content. Since our company’s founding, we have been committed to creating innovative and exciting ways to engage players with new technologies and capabilities. We know that GAN shares this commitment, and we look forward to bringing new online experiences to our players through GAN’s extensive online distribution network. Together, we will be drivers of the U.S. iGaming market as it continues to grow.”

Implications of the Deal for Gan Limited

Gan Limited will now begin to obtain online content licensing fees from existing online operations of Incredible Technologies in the Garden State. What this means is that access to Incredible Technologies’ existing gaming library and future additions to it will be only through GAN’s Platform and Super RGS. The company has announced that because of this long-term deal, its exclusive content from combined online slot partners makes up about 7% of all slots sold in the United States last year.

Jeff Berman, Gan Limited’s Chief Commercial Officer said:

“We welcome this partnership with Incredible Technologies as another validation of our market-leading presence in the regulated intra-State markets of America. Today’s announcement is another exciting step toward building upon our strategy of establishing exclusive online access rights to the most popular retail U.S. slot games. Few content providers in the U.S. market have established a reputation for innovation and creativity as well as the operational excellence of Incredible Technologies. The popularity of IT’s slot games, including the player-favorite Ultra Rush themes, will be a critical addition to our portfolio as we commit ourselves to becoming a leading provider of exclusive online content.”

Sources

  1. BusinessWire, 2021 – https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210617005163/en/GAN-Announces-Multi-Year-Agreement-with-Incredible-Technologies-for-Exclusive-U.S.-Online-Rights-to-Leading-Casino-Portfolio
  2. Benzinga, 2021 – https://m.benzinga.com/article/21608816
  3. iGaming Future, 2021 – https://igamingfuture.com/gan-and-incredible-technologies-sign-us-exclusivity-deal/