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Indiana sportsbooks Make Huge Leap to $460M in October

Published

5 years ago

November 16, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Indiana sportsbooks shattered the state record for betting volume for the second consecutive month by handling more than $460 million in October.

The surge in betting brought on in part by the year’s first full month of football also made Indiana just the fifth state to reach $5 billion in lifetime sports wagers, according to PlayIndiana, which tracks the state’s gaming industry.

“Five full weekends of the NFL and college football, the opening of the NBA season, and baseball’s postseason gave sportsbooks a rare convergence of betting inventory in October. To surpass the previous record by so much shows an increasing base of bettors, too. It’s hard to imagine a better start to the football season than what has happened in the last two months,” Jake Garza, an analyst for PlayIndiana.com, said.

Online and retail sportsbooks drew $461.1 million in October, easily surpassing September’s record handle of $355.4 million by 29.7%, according to official reporting released Friday. October’s handle was also up 99.7% from $230.9 million in October 2020. Bettors increased the pace of betting to $14.9 million per day over the 31 days of October from $11.8 million per day in September and $7.4 million in October 2020.

Despite the surge in betting, gross revenue fell 16.4% to $27.8 million from the record of $33.3 million set in September. Year-over-year, revenue was up 10.9% from $25.1 million in October 2020. October’s win created $27.6 million in taxable revenue, yielding $2.6 million in state taxes.

With five weekends of games, football betting jumped 18.4% to $175.8 million in October from $148.6 million in September. The opening of the NBA season led to significant action, too, jumping to $53.5 million in basketball betting from just $5.2 million in September. Parlay betting also rose to $127.6 million from $92.0 million.

The record month pushed Indiana into some rarified air among legal sports jurisdictions, joining New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Illinois as the only states to generate a handle of more than $450 million in a month, more than $5 billion in lifetime legal sports betting, and more than $400 million in lifetime gross revenue.

Since launching in 2019, Indiana sportsbooks have generated $5.1 billion in wagering, $412.5 million in gross revenue and $78.3 million in tax revenue.

“No state has capitalized on its potential as a sports betting market better than Indiana. As impressive as some of these records have been, it is also important to remember that Indiana as a market still hasn’t fully matured,” said Eric Ramsey, an analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network, which includes PlayIndiana.com.

Online betting drew $411.9 million in wagers, or 89.3% of October’s total handle. DraftKings led online operators in October with a $150.7 million handle, up from $130.4 million handle in September. Last month’s bets created $7.8 million in gross receipts, up from $7.2 million in September. FanDuel was next with $113.3 million in online wagering, up from $77.2 million in September. Those bets produced a state-best $9.2 million in gross receipts.

Alona Shevtsova

Sends CEO Alona Shevtsova moderates Global Gaming Expansion panel in Riyadh

Published

5 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

sends-ceo-alona-shevtsova-moderates-global-gaming-expansion-panel-in-riyadh

Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, will moderate a panel at The Blockchain show on 29^th June, bringing together experts from entertainment, location-based gaming, and content localisation to examine what it takes to build sustainable gaming ecosystems across emerging markets.

The panel, titled “Global Gaming Expansion: Lessons from Untapped Markets,” will structure its discussion across four themes: the growth dynamics reshaping emerging gaming markets; the role of localisation in creating experiences that genuinely connect with new audiences; the infrastructure and communities needed to build gaming ecosystems beyond the game itself; and the lessons and opportunities that will define successful expansion in the years ahead.

Alona Shevtsova plans to frame the discussion around the central challenge for companies looking to expand globally: entering a new market requires far more than bringing an existing product to a new audience. Understanding local cultures, building communities, adapting experiences, and creating ecosystems that allow gaming to grow sustainably are all as important as the product itself.

Alona Shevtsova, CEO of Sends, said:

“The future growth of gaming will come not only from new technologies, but from understanding people — their cultures, communities, and the experiences they want to be part of. Successful expansion will belong to those who can combine global ambition with local understanding.”

The first segment will examine why regions including the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia are becoming increasingly significant for developers, operators, and investors — driven by young audiences, accelerating digital adoption, and new entertainment models creating substantial growth potential. Panellists will explore how consumer preferences differ across markets and what trends among younger audiences are shaping the future of gaming and entertainment.

The third segment will broaden the lens beyond the game itself, exploring the role of location-based entertainment, gaming centres, esports, and experiential destinations in attracting new audiences and building long-term communities. Panellists plan to address how entertainment ecosystems — spanning physical venues, events, and community infrastructure — accelerate gaming adoption in markets where the category is still establishing itself.

Earlier this month, Alona Shevtsova was shortlisted for the 2026 Great British Entrepreneur Awards in the Established Business of the Year category. Her team is also preparing for the Fintech Connect conference in London later this year. Sends will be a leading sponsor of this event.

*Sends is a trade name of SMARTFLOW PAYMENTS LIMITED, registered in England and Wales (Company No.11070048). For more information, visit sends.co .

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