Iowa governor clears way for sports betting

Sports Betting

Sports Betting in Iowa is officially legal after Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed legislation Monday allowing gambling on college and professional sports in the state.

There are now eight states in addition to Nevada that have introduced full-scale legalized sports gambling and opened sportsbooks ever since the United States Supreme Court voted in May 2018 to allow states to pass their own laws either allowing or prohibiting betting on professional and college sports. 

The others are Delaware, New Jersey, Mississippi, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia.

Iowa’s legislation allows residents 21 years and older to wager on sporting events at any of Iowa’s 19 casinos and online if they visit a casino once in person to prove they are at least 21. It also legalizes bets on fantasy sports through websites and apps like DraftKings and FanDuel.

There are certain restrictions. While Iowans can bet on the result of college games, the law does not allow in-game proposition bets on college sports, like how many points a certain player will score.

Republican lawmakers, who led the passage of the legislation this year, have spoken of it in terms of bringing an underground market out of the shadows so it can be regulated. The legislation follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that struck down a federal ban on sports wagering.

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