Legal Gambling Age In Indiana

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Indiana Legal Gambling Guide; Indiana Gambling Laws. IC 35-45-5-1 Version a Definitions Note: This version of section amended by P.L.2-2007, SEC.377. Poker is somewhat a sport of its own and the age to participate in legal poker in Indiana is 18 and older. This means that so as you are a legal adult you can sit at a table and make some side money playing poker. What is the legal gambling age in Indiana? You must be 21 years of age to bet on sports in Indiana. Is FanDuel sportsbook legal in Indiana? FanDuel has an online sportsbook available for residents and visitors to Indiana that offers numerous sports betting options.

  • Lottery (1988), Bingo (1992), Horseracing (1994), Casinos (1993)
  • $475 million
  • $3.8 billion
  • 18 for lotteries, bingo, and racing, 21 for casinos
  • Indiana’s smoking ban does not apply to businesses that restrict access to minors.
  • Horseracing is the only version of online gambling legal in Indiana.

Indiana Casino locations: East Chicago, Gary, Florence, Michigan City, French Lick, Lawrenceburg, Anderson, Elizabeth, Hammond, Shelbyville, Rising Sun, and Evansville. Use our Indiana casinos map as a guide to locate all casinos in Indiana, including the popular casinos in Southern Indiana.

Indiana is a conservative Midwestern state that has widespread gambling. It all started with a state lottery in 1988. Bingo quickly followed. Racing was legalized in the 1990s. Off-track betting was launched a year later.

Indiana casinos were legalized in 1993, and Like many states at the time, casinos in Indiana had been located on the water. Lake Michigan and Ohio River are the common waterways where these riverboat casinos are located. This rule was later relaxed when racetracks were permitted to offer slots and video poker.

Paying Gambling Taxes in Indiana

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Indiana Casinos Map & Guide

  • Ameristar
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Types of Indiana Online Gambling Allowed

Off-track horse racing is the only form of legalized online gambling in Indiana. Eligible sites include TVG, TwinSpires, and BetAmerica.

Daily fantasy sports are not the subject of any action in Indiana. Rep. Alan Morrison introduced a bill that would legalize and regulate daily fantasy sports. It passed a committee in January 2016. It passed the state senate in February 2016. All major daily fantasy sports sites accept Indiana players. DraftKings and FanDuel are the largest.

Types of Live Indiana Gambling

  • Slots: Yes
  • Blackjack: Yes
  • Poker: Yes
  • Craps/Roulette: Yes
  • Horses: Yes
  • Lottery: Yes

Indiana offers many forms of live gambling. The most prolific are the Indiana casinos spread throughout the state. There are many casino games offered, including live poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, slots, video poker and table games that use cards are all legal in Indiana. The original casinos in Indiana were required to be riverboats in Lake Michigan or the Ohio River. This regulation has since been relaxed as gaming expanded to racinos and lakes. Currently, there are 12 Indiana casinos that players can pick from, spreading out from Southern Indiana and reaching the north side, near Illinois.

Indiana offers a state lottery. It is called the Hoosier Lottery. Available games include the typical scratch-off and lotto games. The most popular are the Powerball and Mega Millions. Cash 5, Quick Draw, and Poker Lotto are the more popular state drawings.

Indiana has an active horseracing industry. Indiana Grand and Hoosier Park offer live races. Off-track betting on simulcast races is also available at these facilities.

Charities may offer games of chance with proper licensing. This includes bingos, raffles, casino nights, door prizes, and pull-tabs. Charities must register with the state to offer these games.

Indiana Gambling Laws

Indiana gambling laws and policies are quite liberal in this regulated industry. There is still plenty of illegal gambling. Anything related to gambling in Indiana is regulated by the Indiana Gaming Commission. They are in charge of monitoring all casinos and racetracks, granting gambling licenses, and making sure all players are protected.

The state defines gambling as risking anything of value on that is,

“contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, or the operation of a gambling device,” but exempts “bona fide contests of skill, speed, strength, or endurance in which awards are made only to entrants or the owners of entries.”

There are certain Indiana gambling laws that directly pertain to the operation of an internet website for the purpose of gambling. The laws target bookmaking and games of chance. That is a Class D felony, one of the harshest penalties in all states. Gamblers are not the subject of online gambling prohibition.

Charities must register in order to be able to offer gambling services. A fee is paid to the state by the charity and the distributor of the games. Fees range from $500 to $5,000, depending on the nature. Prizes may not exceed $5,000 for most games, although pull tabs and punchboards have a maximum value of $599.

The minimum gambling age in Indiana is 21 years for casino players. All other forms of Indiana gambling have a minimum age of 18 years.

List of Indiana Casinos

There are two racetracks and 12 Indiana casinos. Indiana Grand and Hoosier Park are the two tracks that offer live and simulcast betting. Indiana Grand is located in Shelbyville. Hoosier Park is located in Anderson. With Southern Indiana casinos having a head start on the amount of establishments you can find.

See the table below to find a list of Indiana casinos, their locations, and websites.

CasinoSizeAddressWebsite
Ameristar Casino – East Chicago2,000 Slot Machines777 Resorts Blvd.www.ameristar.com
Belterra Casino – Florence1,200 Slot Machines777 Belterra Dr.www.belterracasino.com
Blue Chip Casino – Michigan City2,000 Slot Machines2 Easy Streetwww.bluechipcasino.com
French Lick Casino1,200 Slot Machines8670 West State Road 56www.frenchlick.com
Hollywood Casino – Lawrenceburg3,300 Slot Machines777 Hollywood Blvd.www.hollywoodindiana.com
Hoosier Park Racino – Anderson2,000 Slot Machines4500 Dan Patch Circlewww.hoosierpark.com
Horseshoe Casino – Hammond3,200 Slot Machines777 Casino Center Drivewww.caesars.com/horseshoe
Horseshoe Southern Indiana2,400 Slot Machines11999 Avenue of the Emperorswww.caesars.com/horseshoe-southern-indiana
Indiana Grand Casino – Shelbyville2,000 Slot Machines4300 N. Michigan Roadwww.indianagrand.com
Majestic Star Casino – Gary2,400 Slot Machines1 Buffington Harbor Drivewww.majesticstarcasino.com
Majestic Star II Casino – Gary2,400 Slot Machines1 Buffington Harbor Drivewww.majesticstarcasino.com
Rising Star Casino – Rising Sun1,000 Slot Machines777 Rising Star Casinowww.risingstarcasino.com
Tropicana – Evansville1,200 Slot Machines421 N.W. Riverside Drivewww.tropevansville.com

History of Indiana Gambling

The history of Indiana casinos and gambling is shorter than in most other states. Indiana voters approved a lottery on November 8, 1988, by a 62-38 margin. It is called the Hoosier Lottery. The first instant game ticket was sold on October 13, 1989. The first lotto game started in April 1990. That was a daily Lotto Cash. Daily 3 and Daily 4 drawings started three months later. The Indiana Lottery entered multi-state lotto drawings in October 1990.

The regulation of horse racing began on September 1, 1994. That is when Hoosier Park opened. Off-track betting was legalized the following year. Indiana’s second track, Indiana Downs, opened on December 6, 2002.

The Indiana Riverboat Act was passed on July 1, 1993. This permitted riverboat casinos in Indiana to be located on Lake Michigan and the Ohio River. The riverboats were required to be navigable. This law was repealed in 1999. The ships were no longer mandated to include a crew and motor. All ships are anchored today. There are plenty of Indiana casinos that are remembered as riverboats, with French Lick Casino at the top of that list.

In 2007, Indiana casino gambling was expanded to both operating racetracks. This placed 2,000 slots and video poker machines at Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs.

Indiana Gambling FAQ

Are there casinos in Indiana?

Yes. There are 12 casinos in Indiana, with 10 regular casinos and two racinos.

The minimum Indiana gambling age is 21 years for casino players, and 18 years for all other forms of gambling.

Yes. Live poker is legal on the riverboats. The racinos may offer electronic tables.

There are two racetracks in Indiana; Hoosier Park and Indiana Downs.

The only form of legal online gambling in Indiana is off-track betting.

TVG, TwinSpires, and BetAmerica are the largest pari-mutuels betting sites in Indiana.

Online poker sites are not legal in Indiana. There is a law that specifically forbids it.

DraftKings and FanDuel claim exemption under the state’s skill gaming law. Indiana officials have not refuted this. A bill is making its way through the legislature that would expressly legalize it.

Gamblers in Indiana are not without legal options when it comes to playing their favorite games of chance and skill, but as a conservative state in the midst of the nation's heartland, they are strictly limited to those games that have received the official nod of state legislators in Indianapolis. Indeed, the Hoosier State is one of the few jurisdictions to apply the law equally to those operating illegal gaming options along with the players who frequent such establishments.

For those willing to play within the law however, there are plenty of outlets in which to scratch that gambling itch from riverboat casinos to pari-mutuel betting to participating in the state lottery. Let's examine the gambling laws in the Hoosier State, followed by the legalities of those laws regarding poker, and finally look to the future regarding whether the state will move towards the regulation of real-money poker.

Indiana Gambling Laws

Gambling

While Indiana put the brakes on most forms of gambling for more than two-thirds of the 20th-century, the hunger of Hoosiers for gaming opportunities materialized in the 1980s with the introduction of the state lottery. Immediately popular, the floodgates opened on a variety of gambling including casino and pari-mutuel betting on horse races.

As of 2017, here is a brief rundown where gamblers legally stand when gaming in Indiana:

Casino Games— Indiana has authorized the establishment of riverboat casinos that offer an array of table games and thousands of slot machine-style games. While originally mandated to be on the move when game play was in action, these riverboat casinos can now operate while moored to the dock.

Sports Betting— Indiana is a huge sports loving state, but residents in the Hoosier State are limited to placing pari-mutuel wagering at licensed horse racing tracks throughout the state. Additionally, players can also avail themselves of electronic gaming machines that are available on site.

Lottery Betting— Indiana offers lottery play for its residents that include a range of gaming options from instant scratch off games to participation in inter-state games such as the Powerball where players can compete for tens of millions of dollars in winnings.

Bingo Games—are allowed for charitable fundraising purposes in the Indiana, which have to be individually licensed to be considered legal.

Live Poker—is enjoyed in the poker rooms of riverboat casinos, which also host tournaments boasting huge purses for the most talented players. Unlike many states however, Indiana does not condone social poker games where organizers are at risk of incurring severe legal repercussions if caught, and players are subject to misdemeanor charges.

Legal Gambling Age In Indiana

Online Casinos and Poker— while willing to condone gambling activities when conducted locally, Indiana has adopted a hard stance against online casino and poker play. Indeed, the state, along with Washington and Utah, have outright banned gambling online although several offshore poker sites continue to offer Indiana denizens a place to play poker on the internet.

In general, two distinctive features set Indiana's legal code, which sets it apart from other state jurisdictions. First, the legal statutes make no distinction between games of chance and games of skill, which is often the distinction that allows room for legalized poker games. Secondly, the law specifically singles out the internet as verboten when it comes to playing a host of traditional gambling games ranging from slots to table game style play.

Indiana Online Poker Laws

As mentioned, Indiana went out of their way to ban online poker play, and in fact targeted the entire internet as forbidden territory when it comes to playing online poker or casino-style games. To begin with, Indiana's gambling laws are so broad as to probably include poker play, and its inclusion of the term 'gambling device' further expands the definition as it applies to online game play.

According to the Indiana legal code, unlawful gambling is defined as, 'knowingly or intentionally engaging in gambling that is not explicitly regulated by the state.' Further, the state's regulatory power takes aim at the operators of online sites with felony charges for violations.

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Under the law, Section 35-45-5-3 states that it illegal to operate online casino, sports books, and poker. The law further criminalizes the processing of any type of payments to these online poker sites. Again, the language take aims at the operators of such sites, and casual players do not face prosecution.

That being said however, Indiana poker players could easily find an offshore-based online poker site that will willingly open an account for Hoosier State denizens. Existing in the legal grey area that is the jurisdictional reality of the internet, poker players in Indiana can access U.S.-facing sites for real money play from Indianapolis to Terra Haute and all points in between.

Is it Legal to Play Poker in Indiana?

Under the right circumstances, poker is most assuredly legal to play in Indiana. The watershed year for Hoosiers, who are also poker aficionados was 1993, and passage of a measure that allowed for the licensing of up to five riverboat casinos throughout the state. initially mandated to be on the move when gambling was underway, the state has since determined that these casinos can operate while permanently moored to the dock.

For a full array of gaming and gambling opportunities, these facilities offer table games and slot machines aplenty. In addition to table games like poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, and more, each of these sprawling facilitates houses thousands of video gaming machines from slot machines to video poker. Dotting the Lake Michigan shoreline and along the Ohio River, Indiana residents have a myriad of options when it comes to playing competitive, real-money poker.

In fact, the state moved further with a 2011 legislative measure granting the building of a single land-based casino, which resulted in an additional 38,000-square-foot of gaming space at the 3,000-acre French Lick Resort Casino. For the professional gambler, these outlets sponsor tournament level play with impressive purses, which underscores the fact that Indiana is the third largest poker market in the nation.

As authorized sites, operating under Indiana government sanction, these land-based and riverboat casinos provide all the legal cover players need for enjoying their favorite game of poker.

Straying outside those lines however, as in the case of social poker games, operators can incur substantial legal penalties for organizing games. Additionally, law enforcement has gone so far as to charging individual players with a misdemeanor for participating.

Will Indiana Regulate Online Poker?

Looking at Indiana's track record regarding the expansion of other gambling venues, one can hold out hope that the state will move towards regulating the online poker market, but they would be advised to not hold their breath. Legislation dating back more than a decade, 2006, legislators in Indianapolis specifically added language to the legal statutes that targeted internet gaming options. While the wording does not completely close the door on online poker and casino play, it does place some obstacles in the front of that door.

Knowledgeable observers believe, as is the case with more restrictive jurisdictions that Indiana might move towards regulated online gaming once they see the success neighboring states enjoy with increased tax revenues. For the present however, until Indiana residents begin crossing over state lines to play in neighboring jurisdictions, it is unlikely that the Hoosiers will be pushing the envelope in terms of an aggressive expansion of online play.

History of Gambling in Indiana

When Indiana drafted their initial constitution in 1851, they outright banned participation of lotteries. This opposition to games of chance stayed steadfast for the next 130 years until legislators authorized a state lottery with the proceeds earmarked for educational purposes. The sale proved immediately popular, and the state moved from scratch off tickets to inclusion of state players in multi-state Powerball games.

During the heady days of Prohibition, when famous mobsters ran speakeasies and gin houses throughout the Midwest, Indiana was a hot spot for illegal gaming options. East Chicago, Indiana was a noted stopping point for illicit play throughout the 1920s and 1930s. It wasn't until unremitting violence between rival gangs, jockeying for power, led to law enforcement crackdowns on illegal gaming parlors.

Indeed, the lottery proved so popular that voters passed a referendum the following year, with an impressive 60% of the vote, to push forward with legal casino gambling, but that goal took another four years to achieve after Republican state leaders blocked the expansion attempt.

Representatives in the Indiana statehouse pushed through a measure to license riverboat casinos only to see the effort stumble and fall in pass out of a senate committee in 1991. It was not until a 1993 financial emergency that legislation authorizing five riverboat casinos was passed to help balance the state's financial books.

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Racetrack fans got a leg up on their favorite hobby with opening of Hoosier Park Horse Racing Track, which offered both on-track and pari-mutuel betting on their races. This would be the first of five licensed remote horse race betting sites. Additionally, beginning in 2002, each racing complex was also authorized to add upwards of 2,000 slot machines at each location. Finally, as mentioned, in 2011 the state moved forward with a bill sanctioning the building of a land—based casino complex.

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