Australian-Owned Bookie PlayUp to Access Indiana Market

Last Updated on 14 June 2022

Australian-owned betting and iGaming operator PlayUp continues its US expansion and has set its sights on Indiana. After conquering online wagering markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Iowa, PlayUp is now focusing on the Hoosier State.

PlayUp works together with Caesars to offer iGaming services to gambling enthusiasts in New Jersey, Iowa, and Pennsylvania. It also has a partnership with Caesars to offer sports betting to customers in Iowa and can now accept Indiana bettors too.

Monumental Growth

Wagering in state-regulated sportsbooks has been legal in the Hoosier State since 2019, and the market is considered one of the most lucrative ones in the US.

PlayUp’s head of US operations, Dennis Drazin, was delighted that they were able to enter the iGaming market in Indiana, saying it represented “a monumental growth” for the Australia-based betting operator.

Drazin added that PlayUp has proven that it was able to gain market share in US markets that were considered “ultra-competitive” when it entered New Jersey. Once PlayUp’s Indiana operations are regulated, he expects to see more of the same.

Indiana Online Casinos Are Still Illegal

The success of PlayUp’s operations in Indiana will also depend on whether online casinos are going to be legalized soon. Placing bets in state-regulated sportsbooks is legal in the Hoosier State, but the legalization of online casinos hasn’t been going as smoothly as initially expected.

That means PlayUp’s goal is to offer only sports betting for now, and wait for online gaming to be legalized. In the meantime, the company’s goal will be to position itself well for when online casinos get the green light.

Efforts to Legalize All Forms of Wagering

Two bills, House Bill 1337 and House Bill 1356 were the latest attempts to regulate and legalize online gaming in Indiana. If HB 1337 made it out of the Public Policy Committee, it would have paved the way for racetracks and riverboat casinos to also offer online gaming.

Similarly, if HB 1356 had got the committee’s backing, it would have allowed the aforementioned racetracks and riverboat casinos to start operating online casinos as early as July 2022.

Unfortunately, the bill from state Reps. Doug Gutwein and Ethan Manning didn’t make it out of the committee. However, state lawmakers have vowed to try to file new bills in 2023, hoping that online casinos would become legal in Indiana too.

One-Platform Access

As for PlayUp’s goals, they remain the same as before. CEO Daniel Simic said that the Australian-owned operator aimed to offer one platform access to bettors and gambling enthusiasts.

That means that PlayUp’s customers would be able to bet on sports, place horse racing wagers, play casino games, and take part in daily fantasy sports all via the same platform.

In addition to the United States, PlayUp also operates in Australia, New Zealand, and India.

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