Sports Betting in Iowa – Best Legal Mobile Sportsbook Apps 2020
Iowa became the 11th state to legalize sports betting on May 13, 2019, and the sixth of the 2019 calendar year. Due to the state’s location in the Midwest and sharing a border with five states that do not offer legal sports betting, Iowa is in position to be one of the most successful states in the region.
Iowa Sports Betting Basics
Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law a sports betting bill on May 13th, 2019. Under the new law, sports betting operators are required to pay a $75,000 licensing fee with a 6.75 percent tax on gross revenue. Both retail and mobile sports betting are permitted. Under the new sports betting law, bettors will have to sign-up in person for online betting accounts until the beginning of 2022. After that, remote registration will be allowed.
Collegiate sports betting is also permitted, but the state does have a limit on individual in-game prop bets involving collegiate sports. As many as two different sportsbook apps can be operated under a single license. Bettors in Iowa must be at least 21-years old. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission acts as the regulatory body.
There are 19 casinos in Iowa, and all are expected to apply for licensing at this time. PointsBet and William Hill already have partnerships in place to operate in Iowa and you can expect FanDuel and DraftKings to be right behind them.
When Will Sports Betting Begin in Iowa?
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission still has to implement rules and regulations for sports betting before operations can begin. The IRGC is expected to do just that either at the end of July or in the month of August. Retail sportsbooks in Iowa have no exact timeline at this moment, but the goal is to have most or at least some operational before the start of the upcoming NFL season (September 5th). Collegiate football begins on August 24th. As for online sportsbooks, Iowa residents will more than likely have to wait until 2020 to place their first mobile bets.
Who Will We See in Iowa?
As with any new state legalizing sports betting, we can expect to see all of the major sportsbook operators across the globe trying to gain access. Iowa is no different. William Hill will operate sportsbooks at two Isle Casinos, in Waterloo and Bettendorf. DraftKings and FanDuel are both expected to be operating in the Hawkeye State at some point in the near future. British online and retail sportsbook operator Betfred has already found its partner in Iowa, Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort. PointsBet already has access to Iowa as well, as they have partnered up to run the retail sportsbook at Catfish Bend Casino in Burlington. Bally Gaming will operate the sportsbook for the Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs, while Betworks will operate the sportsbooks at the three Elite Casino Resorts locations in Iowa.
Other States With Legal Sports Betting
Iowa joins these 15 other states (including New Mexico) that currently have legalized sports betting.
States With Legal Sports Betting Operational
– Nevada: Legal since 1949, both retail and mobile. Retail began in 1949, and mobile came to Nevada in 2010.
– Delaware: Legal since June 2018, retail only, although, mobile is considered legal. There are no plans for mobile betting in Delaware at this time.
– New Jersey: Legal since June 2018, both retail and mobile. Retail launched in New Jersey in June 2018 with mobile following in August.
– Mississippi: Legal since August 2018, both retail and mobile. However, mobile is only allowed on casino grounds, not state-wide.
– West Virginia: Legal since August 2018, both retail and mobile. Mobile launched in West Virginia in late 2018, but after a few months, the state’s online betting platform, BetLucky, ceased operations in March of 2019. West Virginia has since been without mobile sports betting. However, online sports betting is expected to come back to West Virginia in 2019.
– New Mexico: Although sports betting is not legal in New Mexico, the Santa Ana Star Casino and Hotel began taking sports bets in October of 2018. The tribe claims compacts with the state allow tribal casinos to authorize Class III gaming options, which includes sports betting.
– Pennsylvania: Legal since November 2018, both retail and mobile. Mobile began to launch in Pennsylvania during the final week of May 2019.
– Rhode Island: Legal since November 2018, both retail and mobile. Mobile sports betting was legalized in March 2019. Look for Rhode Island mobile sports betting to begin in late 2019.
– Arkansas: Legal since July 2019, retail only. Oaklawn Park took the state’s first legal bet on July 1, 2019.
– New York: Legal since July 2019, retail only. Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady took the state’s first legal sports bet on July 16th, 2019.
States With Legal Sports Betting Still Waiting to Launch
– Montana legalized sports betting in May 2019, both retail and mobile. Montana is looking to have legal sports betting operational by the start of the upcoming football season.
– Indiana legalized sports betting in May 2019, both retail and mobile. Indiana is looking to have retail sports betting up and running by September 1.
– Tennessee legalized sports betting in May 2019 through mobile-only. There are no casinos located in Tennessee, making them the only state that will offer mobile-only sports betting at this time. Tennessee doesn’t have an exact timeline in place at this moment, but mobile sports betting could possibly launch in late 2019, although more likely in early 2020.
– Illinois legalized sports betting in June 2019 both retail and mobile. Sportsbooks in Illinois are hoping to be operational in time for the upcoming NFL season.
– New Hampshire legalized sports betting in June 2019 both retail and mobile. There is no timeline in New Hampshire at this time, but all signs would point towards a launch in 2020.
– Oregon has had sports betting dating back to the late 1980s, but it discontinued in the early 2000s. Oregon was one of the four states (Nevada, Delaware, and Montana) grandfathered in when the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was passed in 1992. The Oregon Lottery is targeting both mobile and retail sports betting.
