Sports Gambling Takes a Summer Break
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana sportsbooks are in a summertime slump, according to gaming analysts. Sports gambling in the Hoosier State last month failed to hit the $200 million mark for the first time in a year. According to data from the Indiana Gaming Commission, online and retail sportsbooks took in $194.5 million in bets in July, down 21% from June.
PlayIndiana.com gaming analyst Jessica Welman sports betting in July typically takes a backseat to long weekends and vacations.
“With people traveling at an accelerated rate this summer, it appears that the trough is even more pronounced than usual,” said Welman. ”But July should be the low point, as bettors begin to return from their summer vacations in August.”
Despite the slump, Welman says Indiana still took in $1.7 in state taxes last month from sports gambling. Indiana’s results are in line with historical trends.
Setting aside pandemic-altered sports betting numbers in 2020, the lowest-volume month across the U.S. in both 2018 and 2019 was July, according to Welman.
“Indiana’s slump in sports wagers reflects the overall sports calendar, with baseball being the only major sport offering bettors’ action,” said Bill Ordine, sports betting analyst for Gambling.com Group. The Hoosier state, along with the rest of the country, will undoubtedly see an uptick in the coming months as we approach the busiest season for sports betting with the return of football and basketball on both the professional and collegiate levels.”