Will Iowa Become the First State in the Midwest to Offer Legal Sports Betting?
Published July 29, 2019 by Elana K
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is scheduled to approve the rules and license applications that were submitted by state casinos. If all goes smoothly, Iowa will be the first state in the Midwest to offer legal sports betting.
Iowa is gearing up to become the tenth state to legalize sports betting since the Supreme Court repealed PASPA a little over a year ago in May 2018. Tomorrow, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is scheduled to approve the rules and license applications that were submitted since the state’s sports betting bill was approved in May of this year. Out of Iowa’s 19 casinos, 18 submitted applications to allow sports betting.
If all goes smoothly, Iowa will be the first state in the Midwest to offer legal sports betting.
What’s in the Bill?
Every state has a slightly different take on sports betting - in Iowa, the state will allow betting on pro and college sports teams, as well as on daily fantasy sports sites - a big draw for fans of DraftKings and FanDuel. The bill does not allow in-game bets on in-state college teams, which is fairly common among the other states that offer legal sports betting.
Mobile sports betting will be allowed, provided that bettors first register at a land-based casino. Mobile bets will only be taken from people within the state, so while people from out-of-state can download the app and register at a land-based casino, they’ll also have to be physically within Iowa’s borders to place their bets.
Projected Timeline
If the rules and regulations are approved tomorrow, Iowa’s sports betting framework is slated to be in place by July 30, and the first bets can be taken on August 15. The timing couldn’t be better - college football starts on August 24 and professional football on September 5. Are you ready for some football?
