Online betting in Indiana

What Gambling Is Legal in Indiana

Sports Betting in Indiana: Legal, 21 and Over

Governor Eric Holcomb signed House Enrolled Act 1015 on May 8, 2019. The bill did more than legalize betting. It also placed the whole industry under the Indiana Gaming Commission's authority. Retail sportsbooks opened first, on September 1 that year. 

Online and mobile betting followed about a month later. It went live October 3, 2019, not the same month as retail, despite what plenty of pages still claim. You have to be 21 and physically in the state to place a bet. Betting on Indiana college teams is indeed allowed here too, unlike in many neighboring states.

Daily Fantasy Sports in Indiana: Legal, 18 and Over

DFS has been legalized here far longer than sports betting. Governor Mike Pence signed Senate Enrolled Act 339 back in 2016. That made Indiana the second state in the country to formally regulate paid fantasy contests. It's codified at Indiana Code 4-33-24. 

The age drops to 18 here, three years younger than the minimum for sports betting. That's not the only difference. Fantasy contests built around amateur or high school sports are banned in the state. This is a rule sports betting doesn't carry in quite the same way.

Online Casino in Indiana: Not Legal

No operator holds a license in Indiana. A bill introduced early in the 2026 session laid out a licensing model, but it never really built support. Lawmakers dropped it before the deadline hit. 

That puts Indiana next to Virginia and Maryland on the list of states that shelved iGaming this year. Indiana online casinos aren't a thing right now, and searches will keep coming back empty until that changes. This isn't the first time an attempt has stalled here, either. Several earlier bills met the same fate over the years.

Sweepstakes Casinos in Indiana: Banned Since July 2026

Governor Mike Braun signed House Bill 1052 on March 12, 2026. Moreover, it took effect on July 1, 2026. The Indiana sweepstakes casino now faces an outright ban on dual-currency models. Did you know the Indiana Gaming Commission can fine violators up to $100,000 per violation? 

That penalty applies even to operators based outside the state, so long as they're serving Indiana players. Some major platforms pulled out ahead of the deadline to avoid that kind of fine. Indiana joined a growing list of states making the same move in 2026.

Prediction Markets: Federal, Not State

The CFTC regulates prediction markets federally. It treats them as event-contract exchanges, not gambling. Indiana has no licensing framework for this category. 

Who Regulates Gambling in Indiana

The Indiana Gaming Commission

Having one state board oversee commercial gambling gives Indiana a much clearer regulatory model than its neighbors. The Indiana Gaming Commission licenses casinos and sports wagering directly. And its Sports Wagering and Paid Fantasy Sports Division specifically handles fantasy operators. 

That matters if fantasy sports rules keep landing you on generic pages. The commission also oversees the state's 13 land-based casinos, which every online license ties back to.

How to File a Complaint

Complaints about a licensed operator go straight to the commission.  The Hoosier Lottery runs as its own separate agency entirely, so don't send a sportsbook complaint there by mistake.

Where to Get Help in Indiana

Call 1-800-9-WITH-IT for responsible gambling guidance and help. Indiana also runs a statewide Internet Self-Restriction Program. 

It lets you self-exclude from every licensed mobile sportsbook at once, rather than contacting each app individually. That's a truly useful feature most states don't offer.

Where You Can Bet in Indiana

Licensed Sportsbooks in Indiana

A total of 11 online sportsbooks currently hold a license in Indiana. That list runs: 

• Bally Bet, 
• bet365, 
• BetMGM, 
• BetRivers, 
• Caesars Sportsbook, 
• DraftKings, 
• theScore Bet, 
• Fanatics Sportsbook, 
• FanDuel, 
• Hard Rock, and 
• SBK Sportsbook. 

Each one ties back to one of Indiana's 13 land-based casinos. Notably, none run as an independent brand. 

Licensed Fantasy Sports Operators

Two rules can be confusing to some people here. Daily fantasy sports contests built around amateur events aren't allowed, including high school and college sports.  The operator license itself carries a $50,000 application fee. That fee is a big part of why the licensed field stays small here compared to sportsbooks. Only a handful of major DFS brands have completed the process.

What Is Not Available

No licensed online casino exists in Indiana. So, you may have noticed that searches for any Indiana online casino won't return any results. No licensed online poker exists either.  As of July 1, 2026, sweepstakes casinos joined that list too. So what does that leave? Sports betting, daily fantasy, prediction markets, and nothing else.

Tax on Gambling Winnings in Indiana

Indiana State Tax on Winnings

What about taxes? Indiana taxes gambling and contest winnings as ordinary income. The flat rate is 2.95% for 2026. That's down from 3.00% the year before.  A further cut to 2.90% is already scheduled for 2027, assuming the state's revenue triggers hold up.

The County Rate on Top

Here's the part most pages skip somehow. On top of the state's flat tax, each Indiana county charges its own extra income tax too.  So your actual total depends heavily on which county you live in. Two people winning the exact same amount could owe quite different totals.

What You Still Owe Federally

Federal tax applies regardless of the state and county rates. Operators issue a W-2G once your payout crosses the federal reporting threshold.  That form goes to the IRS, not the Indiana Gaming Commission.

General information only; not tax advice.

Pending Indiana Gambling Legislation

Online Casino: Shelved for 2026

This year's iGaming bill never built enough support to pass. Lawmakers dropped it before the deadline came due.  So many earlier attempts have failed the same way over the years. Indiana has a mature sports betting market by now. Even so, there's still no clear path toward online casino legalization.

The Sweepstakes Ban: HB 1052

This one passed, and that difference matters here a lot. HB 1052 cleared the House by a wide margin early on. It then went to a conference committee to iron out remaining details. Overall, both chambers passed that final version afterward.  Braun signed it March 12, 2026, effective that same July 1. This is now enacted law, and not some pending proposal still working through committee.

What to Watch in 2027

Plenty of states banned sweepstakes casinos this year alone. And, as you may know, online casinos have already failed here multiple times before.  Given both of those trends, 2027 will likely bring another iGaming attempt. Nothing concrete has actually been filed yet, though, so it's worth watching rather than assuming.

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