Iowa Sports Betting

In January 2018, a bill that would legalize sports betting in Iowa cleared an Iowa House subcommittee. A February 2018 amendment to the proposed bill included language more favorable to certain sports leagues lobbying in the state, but the 2018 legislative window closed without a vote.

In April 2019, Iowa lawmakers finalized legislation that would legalize sports wagering both in person at the state’s 19 casinos and over mobile devices. Under the bill, revenue would go into a newly created "Sport Fund," and the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission would become the regulator.

On 15 August 2019, four casinos in the state opened sportsbooks and began accepting legal wagers. The four William Hill sportsbooks are at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, Lakeside Hotel Casino, Isle Casino Hotel in Waterloo and Isle Casino Hotel in Bettendorf. By the end of 2020, sports betting was available at retail sportsbooks in almost all Iowa casinos.

In 2021, the in-person registration requirement in Iowa expired and the state’s sports betting handle jumped immediately. In addition, the number of mobile sports betting operators also increased significantly.