Indiana Gaming Commission has reported that the second month of legal sports betting in the state saw nearly three times as much money wagered than in its opening month. Gamblers wagered a total of $91.7 million on sports in Indiana during October, compared to $34.5 million in September.

Mobile betting totalled $48 million for the month. Sports bets placed at casino windows or kiosks totalled $43.7 million. The state collected about $1 million in sports gambling taxes last month, up from about $800,000 during the first month of legal sports wagering in September. Football accounted for the most betting on an individual sport, at more than $41 million. Baseball accounted for nearly $10.5 million in bets.

More than half of the Indiana sports bets placed in October went through Ameristar in East Chicago, which was one of the first to launch mobile sports wagering through its partnership with DraftKings. Of the casino’s $46.2 million in total wagers, $39.4 million came via mobile devices.

Jeff Morris, a spokesman for Ameristar owner Penn National Gaming, said he couldn’t discuss specifics about the performance of the casino’s new sportsbook, “But we have been pleased thus far.”

Noah Hirsch, vice president and assistant general manager at the Hammond Horseshoe Casino, said the casino is working with its parent company, Caesars Entertainment, on getting a mobile wagering app to customers.

“Our guests are eagerly awaiting that and we’re definitely encouraged by the numbers that mobile is putting up in Indiana. We’ll definitely want to have a piece of that as well,” Hirsch said.

Eldorado Resorts, Inc. and Caesars Entertainment Corporation announced that, at separate Special Meetings of Stockholders, their respective stockholders approved certain actions in connection with Eldorado’s acquisition of Caesars. The transaction is expected to be consummated in the first half of 2020 and remains subject to the receipt of all required regulatory approvals, and other closing conditions.

Holders of over 99% of the Eldorado shares that voted on the issuance of shares of Eldorado common stock in connection with transactions contemplated by the merger agreement with Caesars cast their votes in favor, representing approximately 87% of Eldorado’s outstanding common stock as of the record date for the Eldorado stockholder meeting. Holders of over 99% of the Caesars shares that voted on the merger cast their votes in favor, representing approximately 76% of Caesars’ common stock outstanding and entitled to vote as of the record date for the Caesars stockholder meeting. Eldorado and Caesars stockholders also approved each of the other matters on their respective meeting agendas, including the Eldorado stockholders’ approval of the reincorporation of Eldorado from Nevada to Delaware subject to and promptly following the consummation of the merger.

We can say that Google is generally gambling-friendly and permits related advertisements in 30 different countries, but not the United States. At least, up until now.

However, it was recently announced that Google will expand the range of online casino advertisements in about 9 different states. Notably, in June, they have already launched several ads across Jersey, Nevada, and West Virginia on a trial basis. But now Google also signed an agreement with Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

Gambling advertisement in 2020
Google hasn’t yet announced an exact date of when the project will be officially launched. But many believe that it should happen at any time at the beginning of 2020.

Another mystery circles around whether online poker advertisements will also be included in the list of permitted gambling areas.

Regulatory requirements and restrictions
Google has imposed several regulatory conditions that include age verification and ‘the presence of responsible gambling messaging.’

If a gambling business trying to apply for licensing will fail any of the requirements, it will be restricted from any operation in the United States.

The regulatory hurdle, however, is not the only thing online casinos should be worried about. As cultural resistance is still quite high in certain parts of the country, thus it can give casinos a hard minute to find ad platforms that would be eager to post their advertisement.

A director of group acquisition marketing at Better Collective, Gavin Moore, said:
“This move for unblocking online casino ads in 2020 clearly establishes that Google is looking to take full advantage of the growing industry in the U.S.”

Moore also added:
“Awareness really is the keyword here. Google is giving digital betting operators and affiliates a huge potential reach and opportunity to get their brands in front of qualified, interested users.”

Breaking down channels of influence
Google Ads
Specialists believe that pay-per-click strategy won’t really work in this case, as those searching for online gaming websites already have an intention and know exactly what they are looking for.

Gavin Moore commented on this:
“It will prove crucial as an acquisition channel, as it gives an edge to digitally savvy operators and affiliates, as they will have the opportunity to fill the need of these searchers with their sportsbook, casino, or affiliate site. It gives advertisers the chance to place themselves front and center when a player is most likely to start playing online, and ultimately, be there at the micro-moment when it counts and determines where that player will go on to play online.”

YouTube
Meanwhile, YouTube, operated by Google, would be a perfect place for affiliates to drive brand awareness and recognition among gamblers.

“So advertisers have the opportunity to spend huge budgets to put their ads in front of potential new customers who fit the bill, who are 21-plus, live in the legal states, and have shown an interest in gambling with their previous online behavior,” – mentioned Moore.

Google Display Network
According to Mr. Moore, that, again, would be the most prominent and easy way for operators and gambling websites to put a message right in front of their target audience.

Admob
This is a platform that will specifically allow developers to drive traffic to their mobile apps. Thus, it will be another great customer acquisition channel for operators and affiliates out there.