Iowa Online Sports Betting

The rush of legal sports betting sweeping through the nation has hit Iowa, and the state’s casinos wasted no time getting things rolled out for the 2019 football season.

After legislation paved the way in May 2019, the first Iowa sportsbooks officially opened for business on Aug. 15, 2019. While not everyone was ready for day one, there were 13 legal brick-and-mortar Iowa sportsbooks up and running by the first few weeks of football season, with options scattered throughout the state – you’re never likely to be more than a few hours away from a betting shop if you’re within state borders. Five more land-based books opened by October, officially making all but one casino in the state double as an active sportsbook. Casino Queen Marquette would eventually crack and join the others, going live in partnership with fubo Sportsbook on Nov. 3, 2021.

Iowa initially launched with an in-person registration mandate, but as of January 1, 2021, that restriction has been lifted. This means that you can register for an account, make your deposit, and start betting right away from anywhere with an internet connection.

This page will serve to orient readers to the legal Iowa sports betting market.

Best legal Iowa online sportsbooks

1

BetMGM Sportsbook

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2

FanDuel Sportsbook

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3

PointsBet Sportsbook

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Betfred Sportsbook

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5

Caesars Sportsbook

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BetRivers Sportsbook

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Getting started at Iowa online sports betting sites

Age limit

Customers looking to bet on sports must be 21 years old or older in Iowa, whether they’re betting at retail books or online.

Location restrictions

Sports bettors looking to place wagers online simply have to make sure they’re located within Iowa borders. As many of the state’s casinos are located near borders of states like Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota that don’t have legal sports betting, that effectively opens up the market to residents of those states as well.

Again, players do not need to hold residence in Iowa to place a bet; they only must be physically present in the state. If they’re using a mobile device to place wagers, geolocation technology is used to pinpoint their location.

Other restrictions

Iowa offers a voluntary self-exclusion program for gambling. Individuals who sign paperwork agree to an irrevocable lifetime ban from all state-licensed casinos, as well as other affiliated properties around the country. It follows that those on the list, cannot place sports wagers.

Also, players will need to verify their age and identity via a government-issued ID when registering a mobile account.

Those who win over $1,200 at the book must also provide a social security number.

Iowa online sportsbooks: The books

Land-based books

As previously mentioned, Iowa casinos have not been hesitant to jump into the sports betting market, as all 19 casinos now have live retail books in operation.

Laws and regulations

When the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was repealed by the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2018, it opened the way for the legalizing of sports betting on a state-by-state basis. New Jersey had led the way in challenging the 1992 legislation that outlawed sports betting outside of the markets that were grandfathered in, but many states were ready to pounce the second the PASPA roadblock was cleared.

Iowa became the 11th state with legal sports betting when it launched Aug. 15, 2019, about 15 months after PASPA was struck down. The Hawkeye State followed in the footsteps of Delaware, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Indiana and North Carolina, all of which passed legislation in 2018 and 2019.

Iowa’s sports betting law puts the industry under the regulation of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. Casinos with sportsbooks must pay $45,000 upfront for a license and then a $10,000 renewal fee each year after that. Revenues are taxed at 6.75%. Each operator can offer up to two “skins” with which customers can bet.

Iowa did not cave to the sports leagues and include integrity fees.

The state originally required in-person registration in order to use any mobile apps, however this was stricken down and effectively removed as of Jan. 1, 2021. Iowans are now free to register for any and all sportsbooks via mobile or desktop. 

With a slew of popular college teams in the state, Iowa legislators opted to build in some protections in the law. Prop bets and in-game prop bets involving in-state college teams aren’t allowed.

History of sports betting in Iowa

Gambling in Iowa dates to the 1980s, when horse racing and dog racing, as well as pari-mutuel betting, paved the way for the first riverboat and tribal casinos in 1991 and 1992, respectively.

March 1994 saw more legislation enacted that clarified the market. The age limit was raised from 18 to 21, and loss limits of $200 per day and $5 per hand were lifted. However, sports betting still wasn’t part of the equation due to PASPA.

When PASPA was repealed, Iowa casinos were ready, and so were lawmakers. Less than a year after the repeal, momentum really began in February and March 2019 when committees in both legislative chambers approved bills. Votes were close, 13-10 in the House and 8-6 in the Senate.

However, when the bills advanced to the full chambers in April, they cleared with more comfortable margins. The House vote came down 67-31 while the Senate approved 31-18.

In May 2019, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed SF617 into law, clearing the way for retail and mobile sports betting.

Unlike some states in which legislation passing only leads to a lengthy regulatory process, Iowa regulators didn’t take long to get the ball rolling. Only about three months after legislation was passed, Iowa sportsbooks were accepting bets on Aug. 15, with Midwest sports stars hosting galas and placing honorary bets to kick things off at many venues.

While not all the books were open at launch, 18 of the state’s 19 casinos had operating sportsbooks by October 2019. The final piece of the puzzle would join in over two years later, when Casino Queen Marquette launched its own in-house sportsbook on November 3, 2021.

Despite all of the progress, comprehensive online gambling isn’t yet a thing in Iowa. Online poker and online casino aren’t legal yet and don’t appear likely on the docket.

Fantasy sports players did get thrown a bone when DraftKings and FanDuel were approved and opened for business in October 2019 and November 2019, respectively, after years of being barred.