When it comes to gambling on sports, Indiana is a step ahead of Illinois. It doesn't cost any money to get to the 'Shoe you can board a complimentary shuttle bus to the casino in downtown Chicago or Chinatown. Sports betting became legal in Indiana on September 1, and on Wednesday, Hammond's Horseshoe Casino is opening a sportsbook, just in time to profit off of the NFL's 100th season.
I never expected to type these words, but thank God for Hammond, Indiana. (The Costa Ricans settled their bets, but it felt so shady.) This was all on top of the 10 percent 'vig,' or house edge, that all sports bettors struggle against. To collect my winnings from the Costa Ricans, I had to pay a huge 'service fee' and pick up a wire transfer at a currency exchange. To bet in Vegas, I had to fly there and stay in a hotel.
It used to be, when I wanted to bet on a football game, there were two places I could go: Las Vegas, or, an offshore website in Costa Rica I heard about from a heavy bettor at my local bar, a guy I call Even Bigger Sexy.
