DraftKings Sportsbook received last-minute approval Wednesday for a next-day launch of online sports betting in Indiana.
DraftKings partnered with Penn National Gaming to run an online sportsbook under the license of Ameristar East Chicago.
The authorization from the Indiana Gaming Commission means DraftKings and Ameristar will join Rush Street Interactive and French Lick Casino as the first operators to launch mobile betting in Indiana on Thursday.
Sara Gonso Tait, executive director for the Indiana Gaming Commission, tells Legal Sports Report that she expects one more mobile operator to receive authorization in October. Thirteen Indiana casinos have launched retail sportsbooks.
“These are the two we’ve been spending our time on,” Tait said. “There will probably be one more likely to launch in October, but I think that’s still a few weeks off.”
In-person registration is not required to create and fund a mobile wagering account in Indiana.
DraftKings expanding sportsbook operations
DraftKings Sportsbook will now be taking bets in five states.
The company took the first mobile wager placed in New Jersey, where it also runs the retail location at Resorts Casino. DraftKings has joined FanDuel as the two most successful sports betting operators in the Garden State.
In West Virginia, DraftKings Sportsbook recently launched mobile sports betting.
DraftKings runs the retail operations at Del Lago Resort in New York, where mobile wagering is not yet legal.
In Mississippi, DraftKings accepted one of the largest wagers ever placed with a US sportsbook this week, taking a $3.5 million bet on the Houston Astros to win the World Series at the Scarlet Pearl casino in Biloxi.
DraftKings expects to add the Pennsylvania market in November, running the mobile sportsbook for Meadows Casino, which recently received retail authorization.
