Iowa Betting Sites and Mobile Sportsbooks

Iowa was once one of the stricter states in the Union regarding online betting, but changes implemented in recent years have turned things around in a positive way for gamblers. While online sports betting and daily fantasy sports were once banned, lawmakers have since authorized legislation permitting both.

Today, retail sportsbooks and mobile betting sites are legal in Iowa thanks to a law signed by Governor Kim Reynolds in May 2019. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) quickly approved the needed regulations and the first sportsbooks went live in August 2019. Retail sportsbooks and mobile betting sites are now live in Iowa.

In addition to sports betting and fantasy contests, online racing betting is also legal. Iowa today has a fairly robust online gaming industry. The two major forms of online gaming that remain prohibited at this stage are online casinos and poker sites.

In-person gambling options consist of brick-and-mortar casinos and racetracks. There are 19 commercial casinos in Iowa plus two additional tribal casinos to give residents a total choice of 21 casinos. Casinos in Iowa offer a full range of gaming options including slots, table games, poker and sports betting.

Let’s start with a list of sites that are expressly legal in Iowa and then discuss the legal situation in greater detail below.

Legal Iowa Betting Sites

Note: Iowa law requires customers to visit a casino in-person to register for a mobile account before placing wagers online. This provision will expire on 1 Jan 2021.

Rank

Betting Site

Bonus

Rating

Visit

1

$500 Deposit Bonus + $500 Risk-Free Bet21+ to Play, T&Cs Apply

Review Play Now

2

$100 Risk-Free Bet21+ to Play, T&Cs Apply

Review Play Now

3

No bonus offered at this time21+ to Play, T&Cs Apply

Review Play Now

4

No Bonuses Offered at This Time21+ to Play, T&Cs Apply

Review Play Now

5

Two Risk Free Bets Worth Up to $1,000 in Total21+ to Play, T&Cs Apply

Review Play Now

6

$10 Signup Bonus + 100% up to $15021+ to Play, T&Cs Apply

Review Play Now

Fantasy Sports Sites:

Rank

Betting Site

Bonus

Rating

Visit

1

Up to 4 Free Entries18/21+ to Play, T&Cs Apply

Review Play Now

2

20% up to $50018/21+ to Play, T&Cs Apply

Review Play Now

Legal Horse Betting Sites in Iowa:

Rank

Betting Site

Bonus

Rating

Visit

1

Up to $500 Welcome Bonus21+ to Wager, T&Cs Apply

Review Play Now

2

Bet $200, Get $200 Extra18/21+ to Play, T&Cs Apply

Review Play Now

3

Wager $500, Get $10018/21+ to Play, T&Cs Apply

Review Play Now

Games of Skill:

Rank

Betting Site

Bonus

Rating

Visit

1

Daily Offers and Specials18+ to Play, T&Cs Apply

Review Play Now

Mobile Sports Betting in Iowa

Mobile sports betting is now legal and available in Iowa for residents and visitors 21 and older.

In-person registration is required before placing wagers online. This means you must visit the casino partnered with the mobile betting provider before placing wagers online. This provision expires on January 1^st, 2021. After that date, players may sign up for mobile betting online from anywhere inside Iowa.

Each casino may launch up to two separate mobile sportsbooks / betting websites in partnership with third-party providers.

The following chart shows which mobile betting apps have launched or will launch soon in Iowa along with a list of properties you can visit to sign up for an account. This chart will be updated as additional Iowa betting sites go live.

William Hill Mobile was the first to launch in Iowa and was followed by Elite Sportsbook shortly after. Q Casino, PointsBet and Hard Rock Online all launched mobile betting later in 2019.

Other mobile betting sites we are confident will launch in Iowa include the following:

• FanDuel: FanDuel has secured a partnership with the Diamond Jo casinos and is expected to launch online/mobile betting in the near future.
• BetRivers: BetRivers parent company Rush Street Interactive has a deal in place with the three Wild Rose Resorts for mobile betting

Iowa Sportsbooks

Sports betting kicked off in Iowa in August 2019 with the launch of retail sportsbooks at multiple casinos across the state. This was followed shortly thereafter by the launch of the first mobile sportsbooks. The industry is still getting its footing and more sportsbooks will open over coming weeks. Check back often for a complete list of active sportsbooks in Iowa.

Iowa Sports Betting Legalization

In December of 2017, the Iowa Gaming Association (IGA) announced plans to begin crafting sports betting legislation on the chance that the federal prohibition of sports betting is repealed. This plan came about during New Jersey’s Supreme Court case seeking to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).

The Supreme Court did end up striking down PASPA and that cleared the way for lawmakers to act. After one failed attempt to legalize sports betting in 2018, lawmakers have moved again in 2019 to pass legislation that will bring in-person and online betting to Iowa.

The first effort was House Study Bill 592 seeking to legalize and regulate sports betting in January of 2018. If passed, HS 592 would have legalized wagering on professional and college sports at local casinos, racetracks and via licensed online sports betting sites. That bill never made it through the legislative process, but it did set the stage for more legislation to come the following year.

In 2019, lawmakers introduced SF 617 to legalize retail sportsbooks and to allow local casinos to apply for mobile sports betting licenses. The bill sought to allow each casino to operate up to two separate betting sites, accept wagers on pro and college sports (except on in-state college teams) and legalize daily fantasy sports.

The Iowa House and Senate both approved the bill to send it to the desk of Governor Kim Reynolds. Governor Reynolds signed the bill in May 2019 to official legalize sports betting in Iowa. The first sportsbooks and betting apps went live just a few months later.

Iowa Sports Betting Rules and Licenses Approved

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission checked off two major items on the to-do list needed to implement sports betting during a meeting on July 30^th, 2019.

First, the IRGC approved the final sports betting rules that will govern the industry in its July meeting. This part of the process went smoothly as expected due to the original sports betting law already containing most of the big regulations dealing with licensing fees, age to bet on sports and so on. Still, the paperwork needed to be signed and that is now a done deal.

Second, the IRGC approved the applications of the 18 casinos that have applied to offer sports betting in Iowa. This too was expected to go smoothly since Iowa’s casinos already hold IRGC licenses for other gambling games and are in good standing.

The one casino that has not submitted a sports betting application to date is Casino Queen Marquette. According to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, IRGC officials expect Casino Queen Marquette to submit a sports betting application.

In all, 18 of Iowa’s licensed casinos have launched sportsbooks to date.

Key Sports Betting Regulations

• Retail sportsbooks and mobile betting authorized
• Customers must visit a casino to register in-person for mobile betting; this requirement ends after January 1^st 2021
• Minimum age to bet on sports: 21
• Each casino may operate up to two independently-branded betting sites/apps
• Casinos pay a $45,000 sports betting licensing fee and $10,000 per year after that
• Sports betting operators to pay 6.75% tax
• Wagers allowed on pro and college sports
• In-play prop bets not allowed on games involving Iowa colleges

Iowa Sports Betting Partnerships

Under the law, Iowa’s 19 commercial are allowed to apply for sports betting licenses and 18 have done so to date. Casinos with sports betting licenses may open retail sportsbooks on premises and operate up to two individually-branded mobile betting sites. All customers must be 21 or older to participate.

• Catfish Bend: Catfish Bend formed a “multi-year” partnership with PointsBet in April 2019 to manage a retail sportsbook and to offer mobile betting.
• Diamond Jo Casinos: FanDuel reached a partnership with Boyd Gaming in April 2018 to offer sports betting through both Diamond Jo Casinos.
• Horseshoe and Harrah’s Council Bluffs: Caesars Entertainment, parent company of the Horseshoe and Harrah’s, operates a retail sportsbook on each property and has the ability to launch mobile betting under Caesars Interactive Entertainment.
• Wild Rose Resors: In May 2019, Wild Rose Clinton GM Steve Nauman confirmed his casino would be launching a retail sportsbook and mobile betting as quickly as possible. Wild Rose Resorts ended up partnering with DraftKings and BetRivers.
• Hard Rock Sioux City: Hard Rock commenced in-person and online betting in two phases over the course of 2019. Its technology partner is Gaming Innovation Group (GiG).
• Grand Falls Casino Resort: Grand Falls has partnered with international sports betting operator Betfred for a retail sportsbook, online betting and mobile betting.
• Ameristar Council Bluffs: Ameristar parent company Penn National has confirmed it will be launching sports betting in Iowa. Penn National has partnership deals in place with DraftKings and William Hill in other states.
• Grand Falls Casino Resort: Grand Falls Casino Resort is partnered with UK sportsbook operator Betfred to offer in-person, online and mobile betting.

Horse Racing Betting in Iowa

In-person and online racing betting are legal in Iowa through licensed ADW providers (mobile betting sites). The state is home to one thoroughbred racetrack and one greyhound track that both host live races most of the year.

Horse racing and parimutuel wagering are regulated by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC), which also oversees the casino industry, sports betting and fantasy sports. Iowa Code Chapter 99D establishes the rules for parimutuel wagering while Iowa Code Chapter 99F deals with gambling at casinos and racetracks.

Mobile Racing Betting in Iowa

The IRGC approved advance deposit wagering in 2011 to officially legalize mobile racing betting in Iowa. Most of the major horse racing betting sites are now active in Iowa and accept wagers on races held in Iowa and elsewhere. Under Iowa law, customers must be 21 or older to bet on races online.

Chapter 99D.11 of the state code provides additional guidance and specifies all operators must be licensed in Iowa. This bit of legislation has been the source of controversy as it seems to indicate all ADW providers must have an agreement in place with Prairie Meadows Racetrack and the Iowa Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (Iowa HBPA) in order to receive an online betting license.

However, the HBPA has long complained that out-of-state ADW providers have long offered their services in Iowa without authorization. The HBPA has for years urged the IRGC to take action against such operators, but neither the IRGC nor the Attorney General have acted against those operators.

Iowa Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily fantasy sports (DFS) are now legal in Iowa. The state was one of the last few holdouts that prohibited DFS sites such as FanDuel and DraftKings up until 2019. The same law that was passed to authorize traditional sports betting also included language also legalizing daily fantasy contests.

It was estimated at one point that 1 in 10 Iowans participated in fantasy leagues even prior to the passage of the 2019 law. It was actually surprising to see fantasy sports remain prohibited in Iowa for as long as they were considering opposition to the activity was never very strong. The biggest problem in Iowa were longstanding state laws that define gambling as just about anything involving money and even a hint of chance.

With those factors in mind, it made more sense to regulate and tax the industry rather than continue to fight a losing battle. Fantasy sports associations also pushed for years to get fantasy sports legalized and have finally seen their efforts pay off now that the state licenses and regulates DFS sites. DraftKings was the first to successfully apply for a DFS license and launched for Iowa residents in October 2019.

The Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission (IRGC) is responsible for overseeing both traditional sports betting and daily fantasy sports. DFS operators are now required to apply for a license from the IRGC and pay $5,000 upon successful licensure. The law has also established a 6.75% tax payable by operators.

Fantasy sites are also required to implement reasonable standards for safety and fairness, such as preventing athletes from participating in DFS contests, keeping customer funds in a segregated account for safekeeping and ensuring all customers are at least 21 years old.

Past Efforts to Legalize Fantasy Sports in Iowa

Two other bills introduced in each house sought to legalize fantasy sports in 2015 eventually died in 2016 and were not taken up again. These bills were followed by yet another bill, Senate Study Bill 3181, but that one too was defeated in 2016.

Undeterred, lawmakers in Iowa made another push to legalize and regulate fantasy sports in 2017. That bill also seeks to legalize fantasy sports, issue licenses to companies, implement a 7.5% tax on revenues and prohibit anyone under 21 from participating. These constant pushes for fantasy sports show there is a desire among lawmakers in Iowa and it is most likely just a matter of time before the major fantasy sites return to Iowa. The 2017 bill lost steam before making it into law.

That same bill was reintroduced in 2018 and quickly made it through a House subcommittee. House File 613 was identical to the 2017 version with a proposed 7.5% tax rate, minimum age of 21 and various consumer protection regulations. This bill also failed to make it far along in the process.

Iowa Online Poker

Two poker bills have been proposed in Iowa over the last few years. Neither bill managed to become law before the close of the 2014 legislative season. At one point, lawmakers said they were interested in watching how online poker works out for New Jersey, but several years have passed since then and no serious efforts to enact a law have been mounted since.

Iowa Senate File 2275 was proposed in 2012 as a means to license additional land-based casinos and internet poker. If passed, the bill would have included a bad actor clause (sites that previously accepted wagers in the US contrary to the UIGEA would not be eligible for licensing) and it would have been open to sharing player pools with other states.

Senate File 2275 never made it into law and was eventually replaced with Senate Study Bill 1068 in 2013. SSB 1068 had much in common with SF 2275 including a bad actor clause and licensing criteria for operators. This one also failed but hope springs eternal.

Iowa’s hopes for online poker do remain alive although there hasn’t been much movement on the issue in recent years. Most legislators aren’t outright opposed to the idea of online poker; it’s more a matter of agreeing on all the details.

Iowa Casinos

Land-based gambling is widespread in Iowa but there is no political will to introduce legislation for online casinos. Past legislative attempts have all focused on getting internet poker legalized without any mention of gambling.

Not including the racinos mentioned above, there are 14 brick-and-mortar casinos spread across the state. This includes a mix of riverboats and traditional casinos. Although it will be at least a few years before you can gamble on your computer in Iowa, you’re probably not too far from a traditional casino.

Iowa Electronic Markets

The Iowa Electronic Market is the only legal way to bet on political elections right now, run by the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business. The school got a limited exception to the federal laws against betting on elections because they set it up as a teaching tool to study the predictive power of markets, and because the real-money bets are small (each account can funded with a total of only $500).

The IEM allows users to buy and sell contracts based on future political events and national fiscal policy. Essentially, contracts are created for each side of an outcome such as the Presidential election. Users may then buy and sell these contracts at whatever value they deem appropriate. Market forces tend to dictate the value of each contract.

For example, a contract on the next President being a Republican would be worth $1.00 if the Republic nominee does indeed win. The contract becomes worthless if the Democrat wins. During the lead-up to the election, people might buy and sell each contract for, say, $0.55 if they think the Republican has an advantage.

Interestingly, the IEM has proven to be quite accurate as a prediction tool. It has often predicted election outcomes more accurately than standard polls. So far, it indicates that market forces acting on real money contracts lead to greater accuracy in predicting the future.

The IEM is open to participants from around the world. If you’re interested in giving it a shot, you can read all about it here.

Timeline of Legal Gambling in Iowa