Author:
Thomas Chambers
Last Updated:
21/09/2022
Experiences:
Passion for soccer but also an expert on most sports markets
Experiences:
Passion for soccer but also an expert on most sports markets
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Table of Content
- Who is this article suitable for?
- The legal history of sports betting in Iowa
- Editor’s recommendation – the best sports betting operator for users in Iowa
- Five tips for a secure and fair gambling experience in Iowa
- What do we look for when evaluating operators for Iowa residents?
- Finding the right operator for you
- Conclusion: A wide variety of choice for Iowa bettors
- Iowa Sports Betting FAQ
Who is this article suitable for?
Well, it would certainly help if you’re actually from Iowa. If you’re in another state though, don’t worry – our US sports betting guide alongside our many state-specific guides can help you find the best advice focused on your individual geographical needs.
Otherwise, our aim is simple: to help everyone who wants to better understand sports betting Iowa. It could be you just want to know “is sports betting legal in Iowa?”. Or maybe you want to go even further and learn what’s available and how to make the most of it. This isn’t a mere list of Iowa sportsbooks. It’s a guide to everything you need to know about betting in this state.
The legal history of sports betting in Iowa
As is the case with many states, the most pertinent history of gambling in IA – especially when it comes to online gambling in Iowa – happened very recently. In 2019, the law was changed to allow authorised sports betting and fantasy sports betting. This included not just retail outlets but online ventures.
That’s right, the ability to bet online legally, in any capacity, is still very much in its infancy. If that makes you worried there might not be a great deal of choice, well, your fears are unfounded. There’s an amazing list of Iowa sportsbooks already, meaning the best betting sites Iowa has to offer are already to an exceptionally high standard.
One unusual niggle in this law was the need for citizens to actually register in person for IA sports betting. This is to prevent people from out of state utilising sportsbooks in Iowa. However, it appears that legislators have realised this is incredibly impractical, and now allow people to register online as of the start of 2021.
Before these seismic changes, the laws were complicated. The most important things to understand about the history of Iowa sports betting and gambling generally are essentially two-fold. Firstly, there was the passing of the Pari-Mutuel Wagering Act in 1983, which allowed for the pari mutuel wagering on horse and dog racing specifically. This is a huge step in the legalisation we enjoy at the best IA sportsbooks today.
Other than that, there’s the history of Iowa casino riverboats, which began in 1991 and are immensely popular with tourists. That is much more relevant to those looking for the best online casino in Iowa rather than sports betting history, but still points its bow in the direction of greater gambling freedom.
Editor’s recommendation – the best sports betting operator for users in Iowa
Although it’s only early days, DraftKings already has plenty of huge hitters available to you in terms of top Iowa sportsbooks. BetMGM and Fanduel are just a duo of fantastic operators on our list of Iowa sportsbooks that we think could comfortably sit among any best online USA bookmaker.
Of course, what’s best depends on what you like. In terms of our recommendation, we decided the one which could suit as many people as possible – especially as we know plenty of people reading this may be relative newcomers – is Unibet. They’re wonderfully easy to use on pretty much every device, from desktop to app.
Best of all, this isn’t just a betting site that has allowed Iowa citizens to bet with them – they’ve really crafted an experience specifically for the state. That means you can find top contenders for the best betting odds for NFL markets, as well as promotions that are available for your state, and offer great value. For their ease of use, technical prowess and incredible market variety, Unibet takes our IA online sports betting recommendation.
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Five tips for a secure and fair gambling experience in Iowa
There’s simply nothing more important when looking for an IA sportsbook than your safety and fair treatment. The most important thing to note here is that, because IA sportsbooks are legal – and many of them are excellent – there are plenty of secure and fair options out there. However, you need to be able to find them. That’s why we’ve provided five tips that make gambling security easy:
What do we look for when evaluating operators for Iowa residents?
We’re proud to say that we advise anyone interested in getting not just secure IA sportsbooks but the best IA sportsbook to utilise our reviews and recommendations. But, what exactly goes into our tests to make us so sure we’ve covered everything important? Here’s a quick list of some of the things we do to bring you the most comprehensive reviews possible:
- We head over to the site and register: the easier this process, the better.
- Next, we do our security checks as discussed previously: everything from licensing and encryption to privacy policy and responsible gaming tools.
- It’s time for us to deposit funds: checking out the quality and variety of banking options.
- We analyse the sports market variety.
- Placing bets and going through the withdrawal process: is next on the menu.
- This is also repeated with live markets: and we also check live streams.
- Customer serVice is tested too: we go through Help sections and contact them wherever possible.
- Promotions are checked for the quality of their terms and conditions.
- During all this, we note the quality of the site design: for structural quality and technical faults. We leave opinions on looks up to you.
- We test features: paying particular attention to things like cash out and bet builders.
- All this is repeated on the mobile app: with the same standards applied.
- We research the history and reputation of the site: as well as user feedback, before making a recommendation.
Operators who came out on top of our reviews
1.
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Finding the right operator for you
Getting your perfect sportsbooks in Iowa is really no different to anywhere else, thanks to the fabulous selection of great bookmakers. And, it’s essentially a two-step process.
We’re here to help you with the first step. This is in knowing the answers like “ is sports betting legal in Iowa?” for instance. It’s also in having a reliable selection of operators, like the ones we’ve recommended here, that you know have a very high baseline of quality. That’s essentially what our reviews are all about. We can’t tell you which betting site will be perfect for you. All we can do is point you in the direction of the best that’s available, with some advice on the kind of bettor we think will enjoy them.
The second step is taking our recommendations and advice and using that as a platform to propel yourself towards betting perfection. It’s where you look at the best of the best and decide which among them is right for you. It comes down to what you want from your betting site, so that’s essentially the question you need to ask yourself. From banking needs to design preferences, what specifically is it that your ideal betting site would look like? Remember that there’s nothing stopping you signing up for as many betting sites as you want.
Conclusion: A wide variety of choice for Iowa bettors
Betting in Iowa is not just legal but exemplary. Already there’s a star-studded line up of amazing bookmakers to choose from. In fact, we’ve been amazed in our research by quite how high the general standard is.
Of course, not all are made equal – but if you utilise our guides, not only can you remain safe when enjoying Iowa sports betting, but you should easily be able to find truly excellent operators to suit you. And if you’re not sure? Why not just try some of them out. We only recommend excellent bookmakers so you’ll know that the standard is great, and by experiencing them for yourself, you may just find yourself aligned with an operator that’s perfect for how you like to bet.
The best sportsbook bonuses
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****** FanDuel Sport Bonus Code
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Iowa Sports Betting FAQ
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