By
Blake Roberts
Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 17 February 2021
Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief
Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.
It has been reported that sportsbooks in Indiana started 2021 on a solid footing after registering a record month to kick off the year. According to figures released recently, the state has now enjoyed five consecutive months of record sports betting, with the handle in January coming in at close to $350 million.
In the space of a year, the state’s handle has more than doubled – in January 2020, the handle stood at $171 million. It was also a significant increase on a month-on-month basis, with the handle for December last year standing at $313 million.
According to industry officials, 2021 will be a vital year for sports betting in Indiana. This comes after a very difficult year for many sportsbooks due to the temporary shutdown of live sports last year, coupled with the ongoing impact COVID-19 is having on the state in other ways.
Officials are hoping to see the industry within the state go from strength to strength over the coming year, even as neighboring states begin to authorize sports betting.
Jessica Welman, an analyst for Play Indiana, said that the feeder markets of Illinois and Michigan will keep growing, plus she also said:
Ohio is moving toward regulating sports betting, too. So, sportsbooks will increasingly have to rely on in-state bettors. That said, the market continues to prove more than capable of standing on its own.
Since September last year, sportsbooks in the area have been recording record handle on a monthly basis. Industry officials hope to see this trend continue over the course of 2021, with the January figure providing a promising start.
Of course, this also means that the state benefits from increased gambling taxes, which is something that will prove particularly beneficial given the economic damage caused by COVID-19.
Sports betting in the state was legalized in September 2019 and has proven solid and successful since its launch. Some believe that the recent success of sports betting in Indiana is difficult to believe given that some nearby states have now made mobile sports betting legal. This makes the success of the Hoosier State even more of an achievement.
The data shows that sports betting across the state has been dominated by online activities, with more than 85 percent of bets being placed via devices. This equated to more than $296 million being bet online or on mobile devices, which is a reflection of the growing popularity of digital sports betting in the current climate.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people have been taking to online sportsbooks in order to enjoy sports betting activities. Many are not confident about visiting casinos and retail sportsbooks because of the ongoing issues with the second wave of the pandemic.
Having access to mobile betting has helped to bolster the betting industry in the state over the past year, during which retail sportsbooks were closed for several months. Many have enjoyed the chance to bet on teams and sports from the comfort of their own homes.
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