Indiana betting handle falls again in May despite Caitlin Clark’s arrival at Fever

Sports betting spend in Indiana fell for the second consecutive month in May to $361.6m (£282.9m/€334.7m) despite the Hoosier State being boosted by the arrival of basketball starlet Caitlin Clark.

Handle in May was 8.2% behind the $393.9m wagered in April. However, the total was up 27.6% from the $283.4m bet in Indiana during May last year.

As has been the case for some time, basketball was the most popular sport to wager on. In total, players in Indiana bet $97.2m on basketball in May. However, this was 19.8% lower than the $121.5m wagered in April – but 35.0% clear of last year’s total.

This decline was despite the arrival of Caitlin Clark, who joined WNBA team the Indiana Fever in mid-April. Clark is regarded as one of the most exciting talents in the history of women’s basketball in the US.

As for other sports, baseball bets in May topped $73.7m, with American football at $1.7m. A further $86.7m was bet on other sports while parlay bets drew $102.1m in total wagers.

Revenue in May amounted to $39.0m, an increase of 5.1% from April. This is also 15.4% higher than the $33.8m generated in May of last year.

As for tax, the state was able to collect $3.7m from sports betting during the month. 

FanDuel and Blue Chip retain Indiana top spot 

Partners FanDuel and Blue Chip Casino claimed the top spot in Indiana for the second month in a row. Revenue from the partnership amounted to $15.9m off a handle of $112.3m.

DraftKings and Ameristar Casino again ranked second with $12.7m in revenue for May. This is, again, despite taking more bets – $134.0m – than FanDuel and Blue Chip.

At third place was Belterra Casino, another FanDuel partner, with $2.7m from $31.7m. 

Other notable results include Hollywood Lawrenceburg and ESPN Bet with revenue of $2.5m off $24.0m. In addition, French Lick Resort and partner Bet365 posted $1.9m from $22.2m.