Out of all the conservative states, Indiana is probably one of the most laid-back and liberalized when it comes to gambling. Online casinos may still be out of the picture, but there is already talk about legalizing online Sportsbook gaming.

As for land-based casinos and other forms of gambling, residents can indulge in many different options. The state allows land-based casinos, racinos, and riverboat gambling houses (these need to be closed for at least 2 out of 24 hours per day). Racetrack and pari-mutuel betting is also legal. Plus, the state lottery is hugely popular and accumulates billions of dollars of revenues per year, and Bingo can be operated on a commercial basis.

The state is lenient towards pull-tabs that are available in bars and similar establishments. Plus, bars, restaurants, and clubs can also have video gaming terminals.

Charitable gambling is allowed, and the residents of the state can hold gambling events at home as long as there is no house edge from the host. Plus, those who live in Indiana, can own slot machines as long as these are for decorative and recreational purposes and are at least 40 years old.

There is currently no proposal effort or even negotiations about legalizing online casinos. The state laws classify online gambling as Class B misdemeanor. For players, there were no precedents of being punished for gambling online. However, the state goes after any illegal online oprators offering games of chance online within the state.

That being said, one look at the statistics about offshore casinos that register players from Indiana shows that games of chance are very popular among the state’s residents. The offshore gross gambling turnover reaches up to 34 billion USD, depending on the year. Out of this sum, up to 16 billion is on sports betting, and casino games place second, accumulating up to 14 billion USD.

Live games available at Indiana-friendly online casinos

While residents of the state have no options to play online within Indiana, 100s of certified online operators can accept gamblers from the state. The tendency as of 2020 is for most of these online lobbies to add live dealer games to their platforms.

The most common options that players from Indiana will see are portfolios by Arrow’s Edge, Visionary iGaming, and Fresh Deck Studios — these are offshore software developers offering live dealer games specifically to the USA market. They are certified and reliable, although their game selection is much smaller if compared to such European giants as Evolution Gaming or Asian suppliers like Alllbet Gaming.

Two of the most popular types of live games are roulette and blackjack. These are supported by all the dveelopers and are available in classic and VIP versions. Plus, there are variations. For instance, ViG has Early Payout BJ and VIG Blackjack games.

If you like roulette, take a look at Arrow’s Edge variation, which is streamed from the custom-built studio. the company offers a European variation. Although marketed under the Arrow’s Edge brand, it is powered by Vivo Gaming — another popular USA-friendly live dealer supplier.

Baccarat is available in the Punto banco variation mostly, and table pokers are limited to modifications like Texas Hold’em.

Recommended deposit methods for online casinos at Indiana

A lot of Indiana-friendly online operators will offer Visa deposits and MasterCard transactions. Quite a few platforms also support American Express. However, all cards bear certain forms of risks and such tarnsactions may not always be successful. Due to the USA laws for banks, the institutions may block all the transactions that they find are connected to gambling. This may also lead to bank accounts being blocked.

For this reason many American players are very cautious of using their cards in international online venues. And for that very same reason, cryptocurrency wallets are a frequent solution supported by lots of online operators. Using cash like Bitcoin or Dogecoin (and alternatives) is simple, has low risks, manageable fees, and — what is best — crypto is now available in lots of reputable online casinos that accept Indiana.

In many ways, Indiana’s legislature regarding casino games and betting is similar to the state of Ohio. Indiana legalized land-based casinos in the ’90s, focusing at first on riverboat gambling venues and allowing one land-based casino in French Lick. Then, the industry slowly but inevitably started growing, and the number of casinos and racinos increased.

Indiana Gaming Commission, State Lottery Commission of Indiana, and Indiana Horse racing Commission are the authorities in charge of regulating different branches of the gambling industry in the state. They rely on the Indiana State Code, Riverboat Gaming Statute, Charity Gaming Statute, Gambling Games at Racetracks and Gambling document, and the Indiana Lottery Act of 1989.

Land-Based Casinos in Indiana

In this section, we will cover not only land-based but also riverboat casinos and racinos. There are more than 10 brick-and-mortar gambling venues in Indiana, including Ameristar, Blue Chip Casino, Four Winds South Bend, and more. Casinos are oftentimes combined with hotels and golf courses. For players, there will be 100s of slots (depending on the size of the venue), video poker machines, and live table games. Their selection will include roulette, Texas Hold’em, blackjack, craps, and baccarat.

Racinos are the types of gambling venues attached to racetracks where the state would allow to have a certain number of slot machines. For instance, Hoosier Park Racino has around 600 slot machines plus electronic table games, which in a way may substitute live dealer tables. Slot machines became legal at racinos in 2007.

The age for casino gaming is 21 years or older.

Pari-Mutuel Betting in Indiana

Pari-mutuel horse race wagering is legalized in Indiana. The tax is fairly low. The state takes a 0.5% cut on cash wagered on simulcast betting, 2% of cash bet on the track, and 2.5% of satellite bets. The age for betting is 18 years or older.

Introducing sports betting to casinos has been in negotiations since 2015 when the first two bills, offered by State Representative Alan Morrison, were submitted to the Indiana courts.

In 2019, the State Senate signed into law the bill that allows the state’s licensed casinos, racinos, and off-track betting parlours to operate land-based and mobile sportsbetting at a tax rate of 9.5% of the gross gamign win. The first retail sportsbooks were launched in 2019 by Ameristar, Hollywood, and Indiana Grand casinos.

Lotteries in Indiana

Unlike in many other states, in Indiana, the lottery is called Hoosier Lottery even though it is regulated by the state. Commercially, it is operated by GTECH and the way it works between a company and the state is the state approves GTECH’S business plan year per year. The state legalized this activity in 1989.

Hoosier Lottery is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Commission, which allows it to hold not only the state draws but also participate in national events. The official age for participating in lottery draws for residents is 18 years.