Caesars Sportsbook Expands to Indiana, Has Eyes on Virginia Too

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Photo credit: George Rose/Getty Images. Pictured: Caesars Palace Casino in Las Vegas

May 20, 2020, 03:12 PM EDT

Caesars, one of the biggest names in gambling thanks to its world-renowned casino on the strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, is expanding into the rest of the U.S.

It already has online sportsbooks in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and as of Wednesday is officially live in Indiana as well. That gives them a presence in the four biggest states in the U.S. in terms of betting handle since PASPA was overturned in May 2018.

Caesars isn’t stopping there, though. According to Virginia Business, Caesars on Monday won a bid to be the sportsbook operator for a Danville-based casino. Danville, Virginia, is on the southern border of the state and is actually closer to Raleigh, North Carolina than it is to Richmond, Va.

Virginia legalized sports betting in April 2020, and the bill passed will allow for both online and in-person betting. That’s great news for Virginians and for Caesars, as states like New Jersey that have embraced fully online betting — as opposed to just in-person betting like New York, Michigan, Illinois and others — have fared much better.

The state still has some work to do to get online betting up and running, but 2020 is still the goal. Regulations have to be completed by Sept. 15. Regarding Caesars, Virginia Business highlights that approval of the Danville casino will go on voters’ ballots in the November elections.

Caesars will likely continue to expand into other states, especially the bigger markets that will likely come online in the next year or so like New York, Michigan, Maryland and others.