INDIANAPOLIS (NewsNation Now) — The state of Indiana is benefiting from the success of sports betting during the pandemic. Officials say revenue is already back to the level it was before COVID-19 brought everything to a halt.
“When the pandemic hit, and the sports started shutting down, it definitely hit home for a lot of people,” said Gary Andrew, a sports betting participant.
As some sports return, fans are also ready to get back in the game — even if they can’t physically be there due to capacity limits at many stadiums.
Indiana Sen. Ron Alting is hoping that’s the case. Part of the revenue from sports betting goes into the state’s general fund — which can be used for a number of different services like education and healthcare.
“Every dollar coming up in a budget year, which this is, is really going to be needed so we are at least thankful that sports betting is back up and running,” said Alting.
Last months number show sports betting has bounced back to its pre-pandemic success, totaling more than $169 million in just one month. And that was before the NFL’s 2020 season kicked off.
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