Indiana’s sports betting market got another mobile wagering option on Tuesday as Roar Digital’s BetMGM app was cleared for takeoff.
Roar Digital, the joint venture of casino operator MGM Resorts and UK-listed gambling operator GVC Holdings, was granted a temporary vendor license for sports betting last month by the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC). On Monday, the IGC formally approved the launch of the BetMGM app in conjunction with Roar’s local partner, Boyd Gaming’s Belterra Resort casino.
BetMGM joins Churchill Downs Inc’s BetAmerica, DraftKings, Flutter Entertainment’s FanDuel, Rush Street Interactive’s BetRivers and William Hill on the list of approved IGC betting operators, with PointsBet and USA Sports Gaming’s BetIndiana still waiting for their official IGC approval.
The BetMGM brand made its sports betting debut in New Jersey last year and this new year has seen app launches in Nevada and West Virginia. Counting retail-only wagering operations in Mississippi, Roar has set a target of taking wagers in eight US states before year’s end.
Meanwhile, BetMGM has its work cut out if it wants to dethrone Indiana’s current betting leaders DraftKings and FanDuel, which accounted for $72m and $52.2m, respectively, in Indiana betting handle during the month of January.
The IGC’s official stats show the state generated total betting handle of $170.8m in January, giving the combination of DraftKings and FanDuel a nearly 73% share of the total and all but $7.9m of all online handle. Of that latter figure, BetRivers accounted for nearly $7.8m while BetAmerica added a mere $89,622.
Not surprisingly, DraftKings and FanDuel also owned January’s betting revenue chart with $6m and $2.8m, respectively. Caesars Entertainment’s Horseshoe Hammond casino, which recently struck a betting deal with Kindred Group’s Unibet brand, ranked third on the revenue chart with $1.8m from $13.7m in purely retail wagering handle. The state’s share of the $12.86m in wagering revenue came to $1.2m.
