Indiana Sports Betting Pushing For September 1 Retail Launch

Operators and regulators in Indiana plan to launch retail sports betting on September 1, the first available day under the state's new law.

Sources close to the process inform Legal Sports Report that stakeholders are being told the state is pushing to launch by that date. With NFL season starting four days later, that would set up Indiana sports betting operators to take wagers on the most popular betting sport.

To that end, the state released Tuesday a draft of emergency regulations to govern operations.

Regulations released for Indiana sports betting

The state legislature passed the Hoosier State‘s new sports betting law this year. The law includes both retail and mobile sports betting, but it appears only retail will launch at opening. Sports betting will be legal at state casinos, racinos, and off-track betting shops.

The regulations published Tuesday largely codify what legislators laid out. The Indiana sports betting bill wound through a few twists and turns on its way to passage, most notably the removal of mobile sports betting language in House committee and the reinsertion of the language in conference.

The law includes:

• Statewide mobile sports betting
• No wagering on esports or amateur athletes under 18.
• Tax rate of 9.5 percent of adjusted gross revenue, with an allocation to problem gambling.
• Limits on in-play betting and restrictions on data sources left to the discretion of the Indiana Gaming Commission.
• An initial $100,000 fee for a vendor license, followed by $50,000 annual renewal payments.

The regulations appear to add a requirement for an integrity monitoring service for state operations. The Sports Wagering Integrity Monitoring Association (SWIMA), formed in November among a number of stakeholders, appears a likely choice for the role.

Official data nowhere to be found

Noticeably missing from the law is a requirement to use official league data to settle any type of wager. Legislators included language that left the decision on official data to the Indiana Gaming Commission, which crafted the draft regulations.

The regulations released Tuesday suggest the commission declined to give leagues any language forcing official data on operators. Leagues and operators remain free to reach commercial agreements on data sales, of course, but without the force of law mandating it.

The freezeout in Indiana sports betting means leagues still found only two takers on their official data pitch thus far. Tennessee and Illinois remain the lone states to mandate the use of league data to settle in-play wagers.

DRAFT Emergency Rules for Sports Wagering

 

 

The post Indiana Sports Betting Pushing For September 1 Retail Launch appeared first on Legal Sports Report.

Original source: https://www.legalsportsreport.com/34140/indiana-sports-betting-launch-date/

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