Churchill Downs Incorporated has announced an agreement with Full House Resorts to operate a retail sportsbook at Rising Star Casino in Rising Sun Indiana.
Under the deal, Churchill Downs Interactive would also be allowed to offer sports betting at Full House Resorts’ Bronco Billy’s Casino and Hotel in Cripple Creek, Colorado when sports betting launches in the state.
Churchill Downs will launch its BetAmerica-branded sportsbook at the Rising Star, which is located at the Indiana-Kentucky border and less than 40 miles from Cincinnati, Ohio, allowing for further traffic from two states that have not yet legalised sports betting.
“We believe our innovative, state-of-the-art products and deep experience as the leader in online horseracing wagering enable us to introduce a premier sports betting platform in Indiana,” Churchill Downs Incorporated chief executive Bill Carstanjen said.
Governor Eric Holcomb signed Indiana’s sports betting bill into law in May, allowing betting across a range of professional and collegiate sports, and sports betting in the state launched on 1 September.
Bronco Billy’s, located close to Colorado Springs, is the latest Colorado casino to agree a deal for sports betting after Australian sportsbook operator PointsBet entered a multi-year partnership with Double Eagle Hotel and Casino, also in Cripple Creek.
“We look forward to the opportunity to provide our BetAmerica Sportsbook to the residents of Colorado in the future as well,” Carstanjen said.
In May, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed off on a bill that would legalize sports betting in the state, but the measure must be put to voters in a November referendum in order to come into effect.
The agreements only cover the launch of retail sportsbooks, with Full House Resorts’ mobile offerings to be powered by Smarkets, which was confirmed as the operator’s sports betting technology partner last week.