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ports betting in Indiana continues to hit new records, as residents placed wagers worth nearly $231 million in October.

According to a revenue report released Tuesday by the Indiana Gaming Commission, the total amount wagered on sports increased more than 11% from September, the previous record-high month. The total sports betting handle in September was $207.5 million, up from the old record of $187 million in February. The October handle is up more than 150% from October 2019’s level of $92 million. Altogether, some $1.6 billion has been bet on sports since Indiana’s sports wagering industry launched in September 2019, according to the Gaming Commission.

In October, bets on football accounted for the largest share of the handle, with wagers totaling $84.7 million. Hoosiers also wagered $61.1 million on parlay bets, $26.6 million on baseball, $10.8 million on basketball and $50 million on other sports.

Max Bichsel, U.S. vice president of the Gambling.com Group, credited the simultaneous play of the NBA Finals, World Series, NFL football and Big Ten football for making October a great month for Indiana sportsbooks. “The Hoosier State’s love for football is fueling local wagering momentum. Decent performance from the Colts along with a very strong start for the Hoosiers and Boilermakers helped bring in over $84 million in football wagers for October,” Bichsel said, as reported by The Times of Northwest Indiana. “Excitement around football and the upcoming Master’s tournament should keep the momentum going in November, pushing Indiana toward that $250 million mark in handle.”

East Chicago’s Ameristar Casino and its DraftKings mobile affiliate remained the state leader for sports wagers with $97 million on the books in October. Michigan City’s Blue Chip Casino and its FanDuel affiliate was second with $66 million. Online betting accounted for 84% of sports wagering with the reminder occurring at casinos

“Indiana is among the largest markets that DraftKings holds an advantage over rival FanDuel, leveraging its early entry last year into market dominance,” said Jessica Welman, analyst for PlayIndiana.com. “Even as competition has grown, including the entry of William Hill to the market, the top of the online sportsbook food chain has remained remarkably stable.”

Data show state taxes on settled sports bets generated a record $2 million in revenue for Indiana in October. In contrast, Indiana taxes on slot machines and table game wagers produced $36 million in state revenue last month despite a dip in play.

According to the Gaming Commission, the statewide casino win totaled $167 million in October, a 2% decrease compared to September and a 7% decline relative to October 2019. This was affected by the state-mandated COVID-19 prevention precautions for casinos, including limited slot machine availability, table game seating caps, shuttered poker rooms, a face mask requirement, reduced restaurant hours, and no events or promotions likely to attract a large crowd.

Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international//noticias/2020/11/12/55415-indiana-sports-betting-handle-sets-new-record-in-october-boosted-by-nfl

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