Players wagered $11.8m per day during September (up from $7m daily in August); the month’s handle was up 71% from $207.5m for September 2020 and up almost 65% from $215.6m for August 2021.

So far this year, Indiana’s sportsbooks (online and retail) have generated $2.4bn in wagering and $206.6m in gross gaming revenue, already topping the $136.4m in revenue on $1.8bn in bets for the whole of the previous year.

Bettors showed the most interest in football, as Nicole Russo, Analyst for PlayIndiana, explained: “Football remains king, even when the Colts get off to a slow start as they did in September. A busy schedule of Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue football certainly helped boost interest, too. The bottom line, though, is that the state’s industry continues to grow and mature; and that will likely lead to even stronger months ahead as baseball’s postseason starts and the NBA returns.”

Football attracted $148.6m in bets (from the $48.4m wagered in September 2020) and baseball drew $52.9m in wagering (from $30.5m for September 2020).

Online gambling attracted the most wagers, producing $320.1m in bets, which represents 90% of the month’s handle. DraftKings led online operators with a $130.4m handle, FanDuel came in second with $77.2m in online wagering, followed by BetMGM (with $37.1m handle), Caesars (with $30.7m), Barstool (with $16.1m) and PointsBet (with $11m).

Retail sportsbooks took in $35.3m in wagering, up from $20.4m for August. Retail sportsbooks were led by Hollywood Lawrenceburg (with $11.5m in bets), Ameristar East Chigaco was second (with $5m handle) and Horseshoe Hammond followed (with $4.2m).