When it comes to the state of Iowa history has proven there is a craving for legal gambling activities. Through the years authorities have gone through the motions of restructuring and rewriting the laws to bring back gambling. One thing that has become clear over the years is that the state has different views on land-based and online gambling.

In 1846 when Iowa became part of the US all gambling was prohibited. A state constitutional amendment was even put in place to ban lottery games. In 1857 a new constitution was constructed but this included the same anti-gambling phrasing which banned lottery games in the state.

Then in 1972 Iowa repealed the constitutional provision proclaiming no lottery shall be authorized by the state. A year later the state’s General Assembly authorized specified individuals and organizations to conduct bingo games and raffles for charitable purposes and raising funds.

By 1983 Iowa passed a law permitting pari-mutuel betting on horse and greyhound racing. With the signing of the bill then Gov. Terry Branstad appointed the first-ever Racing Gaming Commission in the state. In 1985 a state lottery was legalized allowing for lottery betting to take place in Iowa. The state lottery opened the doors to local lotteries, inter-state lotteries such as Powerball and Mega Millions as well as charitable gambling.

Finally in 1989 Iowa passed legislation that allowed for casinos to run on the waters. Riverboat gambling was at this point the only legal form of casino gambling allowed in the state. By 1991 things had escalated and three Native American Indian tribal gaming compacts were negotiated. Allowing the establishment of tribal gaming facilities on tribal lands. This was all made possible thanks to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.

In 2005 the Iowa Racing Commission had started granting gambling licenses to several land-based casinos. In 2018 there was a court case where the US Supreme Court ruled the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) banning sports betting as unconstitutional. In turn, this lifted the federal ban allowing all states to determine the fate of sports betting in their borders.

Iowa legalized sports betting in 2019 with the SF 617 bill signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds. This bill was written into law to regulate sports wagering within the state. With this law active all licensed casino operators can offer wagering on professional and college sports. In the same year Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) was legalized with DraftKings currently being the first and only approved entity allowed to offer real money DFS games. It is expected that FanDuel will soon be allowed to offer DFS in Iowa too. 

As one of the more progressive states regarding gambling activities Iowa also has the best regulatory bodies in place. These have been created to ensure all forms of gambling activities in the state are licensed and regulated properly.

The Iowa Racing Commission first established to regulate the horse and greyhound industry was later on renamed to the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission. This commission is in charge of licensing and regulating Casino Gaming, Poker, Sports and Horse race betting and Daily Fantasy Sports betting.

The Iowa Lottery is run by the state and lottery vendors are selected by the Iowa Lottery. All other forms of gambling such a Bingo, Social Gaming and Skill Games and Competitions are run by the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals.

In Iowa, there is no statutory limit on the number of casinos that can be present but the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission (IGRC) has adopted a policy against accepting new applications for new locations. The policy has been in place for many years but exceptions have been made in 2004-2005, 2012-2013 and again in 2017. By law, all gaming facilities and operations need to be licensed by the IGRC. All licensed entities are subjected to regular checkups to see if they adhere to federal, state and local laws and regulations. Furthermore, licenses are only valid for a year and have to be renewed annually.

When it comes to the tribal gaming facilities the regulations differ. There are three tribal gaming facilities and these are regulated by the tribes.

Sports betting is legal only through a licensed casino paying additional license fees to allow sports betting on mobile and at the land-based establishments. Mobile betting is minimal and only allowed through mobile accounts with intrastate bets alone. On top of that mobile betting can be offered via a licensed sportsbook app as long as players are given a password-protected access to the web portal.

Any casino mobile app for sports betting is required to have a problem gambling hotline with the information prominently displayed. All apps also need to come with a range of responsible gaming features which includes a self-exclusion option.