Gambling in the USA
INDIANA’S SPORTS BETTING VOLUME DROPS TO LOWEST LEVEL IN NEARLY A YEAR Sportsbooks take in $194.5 million in bets in what is historically the slowest month of the year, but still tops $4 billion milestone for lifetime wagering, according to PlayIndiana
Indiana’s sportsbooks slowed to less than $200 million for the first time in nearly a year, but volume was still enough to push the state’s lifetime handle past $4 billion — $3 billion of which has come over the last 12 months. July’s slowdown came during what is historically the month with the lowest sports betting volume in the U.S., a pattern that continued even as the NBA Finals and the first week of the Olympics gave this July an unusually busy sports calendar, according to PlayIndiana, which tracks the state’s gaming industry.
“Sports betting is ultimately for entertainment, and this time of year it can take a backseat to long weekends at the lake or summer barbecues,” said Jessica Welman, analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network, which includes PlayIndiana.com. “With people traveling at an accelerated rate this summer, it appears that the trough is even more pronounced than usual. But July should be the low point, as bettors begin to return from their summer vacations in August and excitement builds for the upcoming football season.”
Online and retail sportsbooks took in $194.5 million in bets in July, which is down 21% from $246.3 million in June, according to official reporting released Thursday. Averaged out over the 31 days of July, sportsbooks accepted $6.3 million in wagers per day, down from $8.2 million per day in June.
Gross gaming revenue remained relatively strong in July with $17.2 million, down 35.6% from $26.7 million, which equals an 8.9% hold. Adjusted gross revenue came in at $17.5 million, yielding $1.7 million in state taxes.
Indiana’s results are in line with historical trends. Removing the pandemic-altered numbers produced in 2020, the lowest-volume month across the U.S. in both 2018 and 2019 was July.
Baseball topped all sports with $63.5 million in wagering, up from $60.5 million in June. The NBA Finals fueled $26.8 million in basketball betting in July, which was down from $77.1 million in June. Basketball has generated $896.9 million in bets so far this year, more than any sport by far, and has been the most bet-on sport in every month since December 2020.
“Indiana’s love of basketball has helped shield the state’s sportsbooks from some of the more pronounced seasonal dips experienced in other states, so a smaller volume of games in July was felt,” said Nicole Russo, analyst for PlayIndiana.com. “Betting interest on the Olympics appears to have been modest at best, and even with the NBA Finals being later than usual, it wasn’t enough to overcome fewer games being on the board.”
July’s wagering was enough to push Indiana past another significant milestone, becoming the state with the smallest population — other than Nevada — to reach $4 billion in lifetime handle. Since sports betting launched in Indiana in September 2019, sportsbooks have generated:
- $4.1 billion in online and retail wagering, including $3.0 billion since Aug. 2020
- $334.6 million in gross gaming revenue
- $31.8 million in state taxes.
“The market has changed significantly since launch, but from the beginning Indiana has punched above its weight class among U.S. markets,” Welman said. “It remains a model market that states still considering the legalization of sports betting would be wise to emulate.”
Bettors made $174.6 million in online wagers in July, accounting for 89.8% of all bets made in the state. Retail betting accounted for the remaining $19.9 million in July, down from $27.9 million in June.
DraftKings held on to its market lead in July with $60.2 million in online wagering, down from $75.6 million in June. July’s bets generated $4.7 million in gross receipts, down from $6.2 million in June. FanDuel closely trailed with $54.3 million in July wagering, down from $64.2 million in June. Those bets produced a market-best $5.3 million in gross receipts, down from $9.1 million.
The leaders were followed by:
- BetMGM ($25.6 million handle, down from $29.2 million in June; $2.2 million win, down from $3.2 million).
- William Hill ($7.9 million handle, down from $11.1 million; $228,927win, down from $3.0 million)
- Barstool ($7.2 million handle, down from $10.4 million; $463,462 win, up from $33,167)
- PointsBet ($7.0 million handle, down from $14.6 million; $747,400 win, down from $885,812)
- BetRivers ($6.9 million handle, even with June; $659,187 win, up from $600,924)
- TheScore ($3.4 million handle, down from $3.8 million; $73,512 win, down from $41,678)
- Unibet ($852,852 handle, down from $1.0 million; $80,444win, up from $53,947)
- WynnBet ($737,797 handle, down from $794,481; $109,614 win, down from $81,738)
- TwinSpires ($536,783 handle, up from $561,116; -$5,043 win, down from $80,162)
- BetWay ($30,859 handle, down from $55,218; -$1,059 win, down from -$25)
Hollywood Lawrenceburg, nearest to Cincinnati and one of the highest-volume retail sportsbooks in the U.S., led retail books in Indiana with $5.9 million in wagers, down from $9.0 million in June. Ameristar East Chicago was second with $3.04 million, narrowly topping $2.98 million at Indiana Grand and $2.7 million at Harrah’s Hoosier Park.
“Retail betting is still trying to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels, and news of a fresh surge in the pandemic is the latest challenge for the industry,” Russo said. “Online sportsbooks will continue to flourish in the state, but it’s apparently going to continue to be a hard road for the retail side.”
As a state lawmaker, Zohran Mamdani generally opposed plans to open full-scale casinos in New York City. In June, when he walked past a billboard showing betting markets for the city mayor’s race, he even quipped that “gambling is haram,” an Arabic word meaning forbidden.
But on Wednesday, Mr. Mamdani said that he did not intend to use his newfound political clout as the Democratic mayoral nominee and the race’s front-runner to try to stop the arrival of casinos that are widely considered a fait accompli.
Speaking alongside the leader of a union pushing the gambling expansion, Mr. Mamdani told reporters that while he still had doubts about the casinos backed by corporate giants, he respected the views of state voters who had approved the downstate gambling expansion more than a decade ago.
According to research from Better Business Bureau (BBB), the illegal online gambling market is nearly four times bigger than the legal online gambling industry; $402 billion to $103 billion (estimates from Researchandmarkets.com and the American Gaming Association, respectively).
The BBB says it has received almost 200 scam reports and more than 10,000 business complaints related to online gambling and gaming since 2022. Some scam reports involved theft, while complaints showed a pattern of unclear terms and consumer misunderstandings. In some cases, consumers lost tens of thousands of dollars.
Here are some common questions with answers from the BBB regarding online gambling:
What red flags should I look out for if using gambling or gaming services?
Big promises around payouts and tempting ads without details are common. Many people aren’t aware the people they are dealing with are in countries overseas. People should also be leery of sweepstakes-style games, payment through cryptocurrency and typos in names.
How can I avoid issues with gambling or gaming companies?
Read your state and provincial laws. There are many different laws for online gambling, depending on where you live.
Check for proper licensure. Even if your state allows gambling, it may have a limited list of allowed websites. Check with your state’s gaming agency to see who is licensed.
Read the fine print. The reality of how winning and withdrawal works may be different than your first impression on a website. Check out the details of a specific service and fully understand how they work before sending them any money.
Even legitimate websites may freeze winnings. There are many reasons why a casino or sportsbook might freeze winnings, even if the money is rightfully yours. Know what actions to take if your account is frozen.
Visit BBB.org to check out a business or register a complaint and BBB.org/ScamTracker to report a scam.
Gambling in the USA
Scientific Games Wins Three 2025 International Business Awards for Supply Chain Sustainability and Technology Innovation
Global Lottery Technology Supplier Wins Sustainable Supply Chain Gold Award for National Logistics Centre in UK Serving The National Lottery
Scientific Games has been honored with three prestigious accolades in the 2025 International Business Awards, recognizing the company’s leadership in supply chain sustainability and cutting-edge lottery technology solutions.
The global lottery company earned the Gold Award for Sustainable Supply Chain for its National Logistics Centre in Warrington, UK serving The National Lottery’s vast network of 40,000+ retailers as a partner to Allwyn UK. Opened in February 2024 to support Allwyn on its journey of building a net zero National Lottery, the 92,000-square-foot facility integrates advanced, technology-driven sustainability practices, including AI-powered demand forecasting and inventory management technology, dynamic routing to minimize emissions, fully electric internal transport and zero-waste operations.
Scientific Games also received two Bronze Award recognitions in the 2025 International Business Awards:
- Achievement in Product Innovation for SCiQ, Scientific Games’ cutting-edge ecosystem that is transforming the way instant games are sold and managed. SCiQ delivers advanced inventory control, strengthened security and real-time sales data, providing retailers, lotteries and players with a smarter, more secure instant game experience.
- Emerging Technology Solution for PlayCentral Powered by SCiQ, which integrates the company’s groundbreaking SCiQ retail ecosystem into PlayCentral HD self-service vending machines, delivering unmatched inventory control, enhanced game security and operational efficiency.
“These honors reflect the dedication of our global teams to delivering both environmental leadership and unmatched retail innovation for our lottery partners,” said Pat McHugh, CEO of Scientific Games. “From transforming the sustainability of our supply chain in partnership with Allwyn in the UK to advancing the future of instant game retailing worldwide, we’re committed to creating positive impact for our customers, players and the communities they serve.”
More than 3,600 nominations from organizations in over 60 nations were evaluated by more than 300 professionals worldwide in this year’s IBAs.
Earlier this year, Scientific Games received two Gold Annual American Business Awards for SCiQ and PlayCentral Powered by SCiQ, in the Operations Management Solutions and Emerging Technology categories, respectively.
With operations on five continents, Scientific Games provides retail and digital games, technology, analytics and services to 150 lotteries in 50 countries worldwide.
PlayCentral HD® and SCiQ® are registered trademarks of Scientific Games. ©2025 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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