Indiana Sports Betting Could be Ready By Start of NFL Season

Good news for bettors in Indiana looking forward to place a bet on the Indianapolis Colts’ week one game against the San Diego Chargers, as it looks like the casinos will be ready by that date to take a bet on the NFL.

Executive director of the Indiana Gaming Commission, Sara Gonso Tait, told the betting news website, Legal Sports Report, that the September start date is now in the hands of the casinos.

“The timing of the launch is going to be dictated by the operators getting us the info we need to review and approve for launch,” Tait said.

“At this point, it’s too early to tell when that will be. There’s a checklist of items that need to be done before launch, and the timing is dictated on the operators getting us that required information.”

Source: legalsportsreport.com

The early September start date would give casinos enough time to begin allowing wagers at the start of the NFL season on September 5th.

Lawmakers in the state approved a sports betting law to begin as early as September 1st.

While the opening date is not completely set in stone as of today, the Indiana Gaming Commission is going to meet on August 28th to approve the state’s sports betting regulations.

If the regulations are approved by the commission, then the 13 licensed casinos and three off-track betting parlors that have filed paperwork with the commission will be able to take sports bets on Sept. 1st.

Why No Mobile Betting at the Launch Date?

Indiana residents won’t be able to bet via their mobile devices just yet, even if the casinos make their launch date of Sept. 1st.

Although the Gaming Commission has not stipulated when mobile betting can start in the state, casinos and other operators have failed to exhibit the necessary fail-safe measures to make sure that all bets will take place in Indiana.

“What we’ve heard from other jurisdictions is retail is a little bit easier to launch and it can fold into existing casino operations,” Tait told Legal Sports Report about the failure of day and date mobile launch on Sept. 1st.

“We’re pleased our operators so far have really focused on retail so that we can hopefully get those activities going as close to Sept. 1 as possible.”

“We know Hoosiers are very excited to have access to mobile wagering, but we’re going to launch it responsibly,” she concluded.

Source: legalsportsreport.com

Operators hoping to dive into the mobile market in Indiana have a few hurdles to clear before they will be eligible to begin offering wagering from devices.

The first step is making sure that the apps completely work through several rounds of stringent testing. Testers will look for the acceptance of bets and proper dispensation of payments on winning tickets.

Another area that will need clearance is that all application work via geolocation, making sure that all bets take place inside the boundaries of Indiana.

Although those two big hurdles will cause some headaches, it should not take but a couple of months to complete the testing once it begins.