Iowa legalized sports betting in May 2019 and since then the state has been working hard to get its operations ready.
The US American football season will start in September and Iowa is pushing to have its sports books up and running in time for the new NFL season. Local casinos have made deals with third-party companies to run their sportsbooks while gaming regulators are finalizing the list of regulations.
The legalization of sports betting came into effect only from July 2019 and the full implementation of the same will not be in full effect until the state’s gaming commission completes and releases its full list of gaming regulations.
The current focus of the gaming commission has been mainly about approving casino contracts and finalizing regulations. The gaming watchdog remains optimistic that it will complete these tasks at hand during the next few weeks.
College football season will start on August 24 while the regular NFL season starts on September 5. The first game of the NFL season is between two teams that have many Iowa fans, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.
The local casinos are confident that they will be ready for the coming deluge of sports bets. According to Wes Ehrecke, the president and CEO of the Iowa Gaming Association, state casinos will have their sportsbooks ready or close to ready by the end of August 2019.
While there is a push to get the sports betting industry up and running before the football season commences, the gaming commission knows that it cannot rush the approval and finalization process of gaming regulations. The regulations being put in place will not only govern sports betting but also Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS)
DraftKings and Fanduel which are the two biggest DFS operators in the country are sending lobbyists in to ensure that they are fairly represented when regulations are put in place. The two DFS operators want to offer their brand of sports betting in Iowa.
The legislators and lobbyists are currently quite happy with the way things are going down in Iowa. Gaming representative are quite happy that Iowa lawmakers have taken their regulation seriously with an effort to listen to both sides. This helps in speeding up the process as it allows for a good compromise between the state and betting operators. The next meeting which will most likely present the final rules for approval will take place on July 30.
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