2020 Iowa Sports Betting Apps & Sportsbooks
Once the state of Iowa approved legalized sports betting, it did not take long to get up and running. Governor Kim Reynolds signed the legislation into law in April 2019 and the Hawkeye State took its first bet on August 15. In less than two months, 18 of Iowa’s 19 casinos were taking retail bets.
At present, there are several different operators in Iowa that either provide retail or online and mobile betting. William Hill, PointsBet, DraftKings, and Hard Rock are among the biggest names that offer online sports betting. Elite Sportsbook and Q Sportsbook do as well.
Additional operators that have launched retail operations but have yet to launch mobile operations are Unibet, FanDuel, and Caesars.
At ATS, we take the time to rank the sports betting operators using a variety of different considerations and factors, including the betting interface and technology, the catalog of sports betting markets and odds, including live betting and in-play wagering, the look and appearance, and the overall user experience.
Best Iowa Sports Betting Apps:
- 2 RISK-FREE BETS UP TO $1500*
- Up to $500 Back If You Lose Your First Fixed Odds Bet
- Up to $1,000 Back If You Lose Your First PointsBetting Wager
PointsBet Sportsbook
PointsBet Sportsbook was one of the earliest to the online market in Iowa through its partnership with Catfish Bend Casino in Burlington, Iowa, which is on the Misssissippi River in the southeast corner of the state. This is an excellent location for Illinois and Missouri residents and PointsBet is one of the most influential and groundbreaking sportsbooks in the United States. The PointsBetting style of betting is just one of many exciting perks for players.
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- Risk Free First Bet Up To $500
- 20% Bonus Equal To Deposit Amount
- Daily Free to Play Pools
DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings continued to expand its sports betting reach with an Iowa launch in mid-February. As one of the most popular apps in New Jersey, West Virginia, and Indiana, you cannot go wrong with this heavy hitter in the business. DraftKings has a partnership through the Wild Rose properties, so you’ll need to sign up there, but the wonderful world of sports betting awaits once you do and you’ll be doing it with one of the best.
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Elite Sportsbook
Elite Sportsbook is the in-house sports betting brand for the Elite Hospitality Group that runs Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, Rhythm City Casino Resort, and Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort in Iowa. The end result is the DBA Elite Sportsbook partnered with Bet.Works for technological support.
Elite Sportsbook is not what the name would suggest, as there is nothing elite about the website or the betting app, but it could certainly have its uses for contrarian bettors looking to pick against local teams. Small, regional casinos certainly have the chance to be influenced by the fandom of a bunch of biased bettors in a given area.
Otherwise, Elite Sportsbook has limited deposit and withdrawal methods and a very basic interface that leaves something to be desired with pregame betting and also in-game wagering.
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Q Sportsbook
The Q Sportsbook is the retail sports betting location for the Q Casino, which is owned by the city of Dubuque, Iowa. The Q Sportsbook App lacks the character and excitement of the retail sportsbook, which is arguably the best in the state. The app is forgettable at best and not even worth downloading at worst. Betting odds are mostly reasonable, but betting options and niche markets are virtually non-existent.
Q Sportsbook does allow bettors to sign up and deposit via PayPal, which is about the best we can say about the sign-up process, which does not include any bonuses or promotions. The app is basic and functional and the technological support of IGT makes it usable, but that is where the positives end.
Save yourself the time downloading the app and just go to the retail sportsbook for a nice time on an NFL Sunday or for a big college football Saturday.
About Sports Betting In Iowa
There are 19 casinos in the state of Iowa. Not all of them offer sports betting, but most of them do. That is important because if you want to bet on sports in Iowa, you will need to start at one of those retail sportsbooks.
Sports betting launched in Iowa in mid-August 2019, just in time for the football season. Unfortunately, interested parties ran into a little bit of an inconvenience in the days immediately following Iowa’s start in the sports betting world. The way in which the state law is written forces those that want to bet on sports to sign up in-person before being given access to the apps.
Now that sports betting has been around for quite some time, the wait times have been dramatically reduced. The law stipulates that for the first 18 months, those that want to place legal wagers need to sign up in-person in order to be able to go online and make those bets. It is a mild inconvenience for having the opportunity to bet on sports in a safe and regulated environment.
How to sign up for sports betting in Iowa
The process of getting signed up and registered to bet in Iowa isn’t as streamlined as it is in other states with legal sports betting usually you just sign up, deposit and bet. But due to Iowa law, players must register online at the sportsbooks website, then once registered go to a physical location to verify the users account details. This restriction is likely to go away January 1, 2021, but the state of Iowa mandates that you register in person to gain access to the sports betting apps that are legally operating in the Hawkeye State. Heres our step by step guide for the #1 Iowa sportsbook - DraftKings.
Those that live outside of Iowa and in neighboring states like Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, and Wisconsin, or those that want to drive from North Dakota or Kansas, can get signed up online for the sportsbooks however must verify in-person as well, then can only place bets when physically inside the state borders. To reiterate, geolocation tracking prevents those outside of the state borders from betting, but if you live outside of the state, you can simply commute across the border and then bet as if you lived in Iowa.
Key features of the Iowa Sports Betting Law
- 6.75 percent tax rate on sports betting revenue
- $45,000 license fee with a $10,000 renewal fee for the sportsbooks
- Mobile betting allowed but restricted to in Iowa State borders – Geolocation
- Up to two skins allowed per licensee
- In-person registration for mobile apps until Jan 1, 2021, you register on the app or online but must login/activate one time within the sportsbook
- No prop bets allowed on in-state college teams, but betting on other college games is allowed
- The regulator is the existing Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC)
Hard Rock, PointsBet & The Iowa Sports Betting Market
Sports betting is very much growing in the state of Iowa. Even though the inconvenience of having to sign up in person is still in
You can now bet on live NASCAR events in Nevada, New York, Iowa, and Mississippi
Back in May of this year, NASCAR officially partnered with Genius Sports for their sports data needs. At this time, there was speculation that NASCAR
Wild Rose Teaming Up with DraftKings and Rush Street Interactive
Earlier this month, the state of Iowa officially launched legalized sports betting. Now, sportsbooks are ramping up their legal sports betting offerings as it grows
History Of Iowa Sports Betting
No, a Hawkeye is not bird, but it is safe to say that legislators in the state of Iowa had eyes like a hawk when it came to legalized sports betting. Policy makers saw the financial impact that could come from allowing wagering at the state’s 19 casinos. Plans were in motion before the Supreme Court decision, but the pace quickened with the opinion that officially put PASPA to bed in the United States.
All of the sportsbooks in Iowa are governed by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission and it is not a surprise that the state’s casinos moved so quickly. The licensing process was nowhere near as prohibitive in Iowa as it has been in other states. The cost for licensing was only $75,000 with an annual $10,000 renewal fee. The tax rate is relatively low at 6.75%, so the operators didn’t have to incur substantial start-up costs.
The law also had supporting language for mobile betting. Up until 2021, those that want to download and set up an account with a sports betting app must sign-up in person at the casino. By the time that restriction is lifted, most Iowans that want to bet on sports will already be set up, but it will make signing up much more convenient for residents of adjacent states.
Almost one year to the day after that landmark decision, Governor Kim Reynolds signed the law that would allow legalized sports betting in the state of Iowa. Iowa actually became the 11th state to allow betting on sports, but the Hawkeye State wasted no time making it available in brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and via the sports betting apps.
Ironically, Independence Day in 2019 was the first day that sports betting was allowed per SF617, the bill that cleared the way for legal wagering. None of the state’s casinos were ready to go, however, until August 15. On that day, Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Lakeside Hotel & Casino in Osceola, Isle of Capri in Waterloo, Isle of Capri in Bettendorf, Rhythm City in Davenport, Riverside Casino & Golf Resort in Riverside, Ameristar Council Bluffs in Council Bluffs, and Catfish Bend in Burlington started accepting legal wagers.
At time of writing, all but one of the Iowa Casinos had sports betting or had agreements with operators to partner with. Many of the same operators that are present in a lot of other states are also setting up shop in Iowa at this point in time. With a limited number of casinos, some of the operators will be shut out, but many of the industry’s big names are partnered with the brick-and-mortar locations and will provide mobile and technological support.
Current and Coming Online Sportsbooks:
| Casino | Location | Sportsbook Partner |
|---|---|---|
| Ameristar Council Bluffs | Council Bluffs, IA | DraftKings |
| Casino Queen Marquette | Marquette, IA | Unannounced |
| Catfish Bend | Burlington, IA | PointsBet |
| Diamond Jo Casino | Dubuque, IA | Fanduel & PlayMGM |
| Diamond Jo Casino – Worth | Northwood, IA | Fanduel & PlayMGM |
| Grand Falls Casino | Larchwood, IA | Bet.Works |
| Hard Rock Sioux City | Sioux City, IA | GiG |
| Harrah’s Council Bluffs | Council Bluffs, IA | Scientific Games |
| Horseshoe Council Bluffs | Council Bluffs, IA | Scientific Games |
| Isle of Capri | Bettendorf, IA | William Hill |
| Isle of Capri | Waterloo, IA | William Hill |
| Lakeside Hotel & Casino | Osceola, IA | William Hill |
| Prairie Meadows | Altoona, IA | William Hill |
| Q Casino | Dubuque, IA | Unannounced |
| Rhythm City Casino Resort | Davenport, IA | Bet.Works |
| Riverside Casino & Golf Resort | Riverside, IA | Bet.Works |
| Wild Rose Casino and Resort | Clinton, IA | DraftKings & BetRivers |
| Wild Rose Casino and Resort | Emmetsburg, IA | DraftKings & BetRivers |
| Wild Rose Casino and Resort | Jefferson, IA | DraftKings & BetRivers |
Frequently Asked Questions About Iowa Sports Betting
What Casino can I complete my PointsBet Registration at?
- Visit Catfish Bend Casino in Burlington to complete the verification process
Can you bet on sports wagers in Iowa?
- Anyone who is located within Iowa and is 21 or over can place sports bets. Sports Bettors on Iowa’s self-exclusion lists will not be permitted to enter state casinos, and therefore will be unable to place bets.
- Yes you can use bet via your phone, mobile app or via the sportsbooks website once registered and verified in Iowa.
- Regulations also state that players who win in excess of $1,200 provide their social security number when cashing out.
Do I need to be in Iowa to place bets?
- Yes sports bettors must enable geo-location services before placing a sports wager. However you can withdrawal or deposit from anywhere. ***You do not need to be a resident of Iowa to place wagers, only within state borders when making bets.
What type of bets and sports are available?
- Currently Iowa does not offer prop bets, live or in-play betting on Iowa collegiate games. Everything else is on the table including: MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA football, basketball, Boxing, UFC, CFL, Soccer, Auto racing, Golf, Tennis
- Yes sports bettors can legally bet in both retail sportsbooks and via mobile within the borders of Iowa.
- Follow these simple steps:
- Signup at Draftkings by clicking here
- Once registered download the IOS Or Android App
- Visit one of the three Wild Rose Casinos in the state (Clinton, Emmetsburg, or Jefferson) to complete registration and verify your identity.
- Either deposit in person when verifying your account or use one of their many deposit options Paypal, Credit card, wire, cash and ACH
- Still not sure read our Draftkings sportsbook review and exclusive signup promo
- Yes sports bettors can legally bet in both retail sportsbooks and via mobile within the borders of Iowa.
- Follow these simple steps:
- Signup at Pointsbet by clicking here
- Once registered download the IOS Or Android App
- Visit Catfish Bend Casino in Burlington to complete registration and verify your identity.
- Either deposit in person when verifying your account or use one of their many deposit options ( Paynearme, Wire, ACH). Paypal and Credit cards coming soon
- Still not sure read our Pointsbet sportsbook review and exclusive signup promo
- Currently Fanduel is not available to Iowa sports bettors but plans to launch soon
- As sports betting continues to grow in Iowa, online casinos and poker could be coming as well, but for now, the only thing permitted outside of the brick-and-mortar casinos is sports betting.
