Iowa Sports Betting in 2024 – Latest Legal Updates & Best IA Online Sportsbooks

Iowa sports betting is legal in the state, but that does not necessarily mean state-regulated IA sports betting sites offer the best sportsbook experience.

In fact, several offshore betting websites offer gamblers from Iowa plenty of promotions and sports bonuses that are significantly better than the ones from state betting platforms. You’ll see exactly what we mean when you check out some of them below.

Sports Betting in Iowa Overview

Iowa online betting is certainly legal, but there are also other gambling opportunities for gamblers in IA. Let’s take a look at the gambling overview in the Hawkeye State.

Is Online Sports Betting Legal in Iowa?

Yes, online sports betting is legal in Iowa. This came about in 2019 when the bill SF 617 was passed and allowed licensed casinos in the state to offer online and retail betting options. In addition, betting in Iowa is regulated by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

Gamblers in the state also have other options, but we’ll get to those in a minute. For now, let’s take a look at how Iowa got to the legal betting status they enjoy today.

Iowa Sports Betting Timeline

Iowa had relatively smooth sailing to get to the point of legal online gambling:

• January 2021: Remote registration for online betting becomes available
• August 2019: First sports bets are placed in the state.
• May 2019: Iowa passes SF 617, legalizing sports betting.

Who Can Bet on Sports in Iowa?

To bet on sports in Iowa, you have to be at least 21 years old. You’ll also have to be within state lines to be able to access state-regulated gambling platforms.

Are Sportsbook Winnings in Iowa Taxable?

Yes, your sports betting winnings are taxable in Iowa, where gambling winnings over $5,000 in a financial year are taxed by 5%.

Pros & Cons of Betting on Sports in Iowa

Pros:

✅ Legal and regulated by the IRGC
✅ Mobile sports betting available statewide
✅ Variety of sports markets
✅ Easy registration processes
✅ Access to responsible gambling resources

Cons:

❌ Online casinos are not allowed
❌ The state taxes winnings

Can Iowa Sports Bettors Wager on Offshore Betting Sites?

Yes, you can definitely use offshore Iowa sportsbooks. While these offshore sportsbooks operate outside of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, they are still regulated and safe. Moreover, they technically don’t operate under state regulations, and you can still legally gamble on these sites, as no specific laws prohibit you from doing so.

There are a ton of benefits to using these offshore platforms. For one, they have much larger bonus offers that certainly enhance your sportsbook wallet and bets on your favorite teams. They also have a much more comprehensive sportsbook that covers many more sports and markets.

The Best Iowa Online Sports Betting Sites in 2024

After reviewing many different sites, our experts finalized this list of the ten best offshore Iowa betting apps, including some new betting sites.

1. BetOnline – The No.1 overall best IA sports betting site
2. Bovada – Competitive early betting lines for soccer events
3. BetWhale – Offers live streaming for the major leagues
4. BetNow – Has an excellent prop builder tool
5. Everygame – Good selection of pre-match markets
6. MyBookie – The best NBA sportsbook in IA
7. CoinPoker – The best mobile sports betting app
8. BetUS – An excellent collection of live sports markets
9. SportsBetting.ag – A good selection of secure payment options
10. Xbet – The best Bitcoin sportsbook in IA

Top 5 IA Online Sportsbooks Reviewed

Now, let’s get into the finer details of these IA sports betting platforms like what kind of sports you can bet on and how you can fund your account.

1. BetOnline – The No.1 Overall Best IA Sports Betting Site

BetOnline is our top pick for IA betting, and the platform runs perfectly on your desktops and mobile browsers, making it perfect for every kind of bettor. It also has a simple sign-up process and a myriad of payment options. For example, the deposit options include plenty of digital options like Bitcoin, Litecoin, and several other cryptos, as well as fiat payment methods like Visa, Mastercard, Money orders, bank transfers, and more.

Moreover, having reliable payment methods is not just what makes BetOnline one of the best offshore sportsbooks in Iowa. They also have one of the finest sportsbooks with plenty of promotions as well. In fact, BetOnline sportsbook offers more than 30 sports and a myriad of events for each of them, which means you can place a sports bet online on your favorite teams surrounding Iowa, like the Chicago Bears, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and even NCAA teams.

BetOnline also has a fantastic range of pre-match and live betting odds. The live betting choices are great for those who enjoy staying in the thick of the action. Furthermore, we also found live streams for a ton of events on the site at no extra cost.

BetOnline sports bonus:

2. Bovada – Competitive Early Betting Lines For Soccer Events

If you enjoy pre-match sports betting in IA, then look no further than Bovada. It offers early lines on all the best US leagues, like the NFL and the NBA, as well as the MLS and other top soccer leagues worldwide. Furthermore, Iowa may not have any pro teams, but you will find markets for all the regular season games on all Major Leagues. So, from betting on the Bears making the Super Bowl to the Timberwolves gunning for the NBA championship, you have a myriad of options at Bovada.

Bovada also offers a decent range of payment methods to get you started. So, if you’re into crypto betting, they have Bitcoin, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Tether, and Ethereum. You can also find a slew of traditional options like Visa and Mastercard. In addition, they also offers a diverse selection of Bovada promotions, but their loyalty program is where you can really earn some great rewards.

Bovada sports bonus:

3. BetWhale – Offers Live Streaming For The Major Leagues

From how easy it was to create an account to how easily we could place our bets, we were impressed with how smoothly things ran on the BetWhale sportsbook. They also offer many payment options, ranging from cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to speedy and easily accessible E-Wallets like PayPal.

However, BetWhale has made it into the list of the best Iowa wagering sites thanks to its range of betting choices. It offers markets for many different sports, including all of the popular sports in the US, including NCAA events, and other international sports like soccer, cricket, and Formula 1.

Moreover, BetWhale also offers plenty of markets for each sport, sometimes going upwards of a couple of hundred markets for some of the bigger events. In fact, you can make a sports bet on anything from how many touchdowns Caleb Williams will throw for the Bears to whether Anthony Edwards will throw over/under five three-pointers against the Lakers.

BetWhale sports bonus:

4. BetNow – Has An Excellent Prop Builder Tool

There is a lot to like about the BetNow sportsbook, but the first things that stood out to us were the promotions. They have a fantastic BetNow welcome offer for Iowa sports betting enthusiasts, along with rebate offers, a refer-a-friend program, and many other sportsbook-related offers.

The sportsbook also has some great features to it like the live betting section and prop builder tool that lets you come up with some interesting parlays of prop markets. You can also use these tools to start betting on a variety of sporting events like the MLS, NFL, NHL, NBA, Premier League, Wimbledon, etc.

One area where BetNow could do a little more is with its range of payment methods. They have a couple of crypto options alongside Visa and Mastercard, but we want to see them add a few more. Furthermore, they also have high maximum limits and reasonable minimum deposit limits for all these options, making it easy for even casual gamblers in IA to get in on the action easily.

BetNow sports bonus:

5. Everygame – Good Selection of Pre-Match Markets

Everygame is a top offshore sports betting site and offers a fantastic welcome bonus for new users, along with plenty of other free bet promos. In fact, we have yet to see a sportsbook have this many free bet offers for the sportsbook. Moreover, these offers really come in handy when you want to take a risky shot at a bet.

In addition to these Everygame promos, you can find a stellar range of pre-match markets for a variety of events. They cover everything from the Major Leagues to even lesser-known games like snooker and table tennis. In addition, Everygame also has done a great job of offering a good range of live sports markets with completive odds and cash out betting.

We expect one of the best offshore Iowa online sportsbooks to have enough payment options for you to choose from. Everygame did not disappoint on that front, as they let users make deposits and withdrawals with secure payment methods like Bitcoin, Litecoin, Visa, Mastercard, bank wire transfers, Paysafecards, and many more.

Everygame sports bonus:

Comparing The Best IA Sports Betting Sites

Now, let’s check out the following comparison table of the best betting sites to know some of the exciting features you can find with the sites on our list.

How We Rank The Best Iowa Sports Betting Sites

In order for us to ensure we only suggest the best sites for IA betting online, we review them in finer detail. So, there are certain criteria that we always go over closely when we decide how we rank gambling sites:

1. Safety: The first point in our agenda is to make sure it is a safe betting site. So, our team takes a look at the licenses they hold to make sure they are operating legally before moving on to the security features they have in place, like two-factor authentication, to keep user accounts safe.
2. Deposit & Payout Methods: It’s then important for us to take a look at the payment methods that you can use. These sites should have an array of crypto deposit options, as well as fiat methods like credit/debit cards, bank transfers, E-Wallets, and more.
3. Bonuses & Promotions: Everyone should be able to get their hands on some generous betting promos when they sign up for any IA sports wagering sites. So, our team spends some time checking out the betting bonus offers and how they benefit you.
4. Range of Sports: We wouldn’t consider any sites for our top 10 if they didn’t have a strong selection of sports for you to bet on. From the best US events to other internationally popular leagues, we check out what kind of depth these sites offer in terms of leagues, tournaments, and events.
5. Depth of Markets: Being able to choose from a wealth of markets is where the fun really starts. That’s why we review every sport to make sure that you can choose from moneyline, totals, spread, and a good mix of props as well.
6. Quality of Sports Betting Odds: The odds available to Iowa sports bettors on these betting platforms have to be competitive. The best way for us to ensure this is by comparing the earliest lines to other sportsbooks to see if we can find value in their available markets.
7. Mobile Interface: Users have to be able to access these sites with their mobile browsers. Not only should these sportsbooks be well-optimized for mobile use, but they should also give you access to all the same features as their desktop versions.
8. Customer Service: Finally, we review the ways you can reach customer support and also how quickly they respond and how helpful they are in dealing with your questions.

Types of Bonuses at IA Online Sportsbooks

The best offshore sports gambling sites in Iowa will usually have a few promotions for both existing and new players. These offers can come in many forms, as you can see below:

• Welcome bonuses: A welcome offer, especially a sportsbook welcome offer, is a bonus that usually matches your initial deposit. For example, an Iowa sports betting site may give you a 200% matched deposit bonus of up to $2,000.
• Reload offers: Some sportsbooks will let you claim a reload bonus by making deposits. So, these offers will often be matched deposit bonuses and/or free bets that you can claim weekly. For example, a 50% up to $500 reload offer that you can claim every Monday.
• No deposit promos: Bonuses that give you free cash, no strings attached. The only thing is, they are not all that big and they don’t come around all that often.
• Cashback offers: There are Iowa gambling sites that will give you some cashback on your net losses. Like the 2% rebate offer, we saw with BetNow.
• Free bets: You can often find free bet promos at the best online sportsbooks. These free bets basically give you a chance to bet without risking your own money. However, some free bet offers will require you to place a qualifying bet to claim it.

Best Iowa Online Sportsbooks Bonuses Comparison

Your gambling experience while online betting in IA is enhanced when you can claim bonus bet offers when you sign up and make your first deposit. Here are some of the bonuses that you can cash in on when you sign up for the sites included in this guide.

Popular Payment Methods at Iowa Online Sportsbooks

You have now seen some of the bonuses offered by the best IA online sportsbooks. In addition, these sites also make it easy for you to claim these bonuses as they have so many reliable payment methods that you can choose from.

Cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies are one of the best options for sports betting in Iowa. Cryptocurrencies give you access to rapid deposits and withdrawals, often only taking a few minutes at most to clear. Cryptocurrencies also have little to no transaction fees for you to worry about either, so you don’t have to pay hefty fees, even if you make multiple deposits and withdrawals in one day.

Credit/Debit Cards

Credit/debit cards like Visa and Mastercard have been a staple payment option for many years now. The best Iowa betting apps will always have them available to their users, as many gamblers in the state still prefer to use methods they are more familiar with. However, credit card withdrawals will come with higher fees and longer processing times than those of cryptocurrencies.

Bank Transfers

If you are someone who prefers to keep it old school, then bank transfers are going to be the option you’ll want to use on IA sportsbooks. Bank transfers do take significantly longer to process, but they are rock solid in terms of security.

E-Wallets

They might not be available on all sites in our list of Iowa sportsbooks, but you can surely find a few of them accept E-wallets like Neteller or PayPal. E-wallets can give you some swift deposit and withdrawal transaction times, which means you can move your money around at will. However, they come with some hefty fees at times, especially when you are dealing with larger amounts.

How to Get Started with an IA Sports Betting Site

Now, if you are keen on getting started with Iowa betting online, then you’ll need to know how you can get up and running. Well, signing up for a top site like BetOnline is a walk in the park, as you can see below:

Step 1: Register Your Account At BetOnline

The first thing you’ll have to do is open up your browser and search for the BetOnline website. Once there, hit the JOIN button on the homepage.

Step 2: Complete the Registration Process

You’ll then need to fill out their registration page with information like your name, surname, postal code, email, password, phone number, etc.

Step 3: Make A Deposit

BetOnline saves you the trouble of finding the banking page yourself by taking you straight to the deposit page. Choose a payment method from their options. This will then take you to the next page, where you can fill in the necessary details of the transaction. You will also have the option to enter the “FREE250” promo code for the welcome offer, so keep that in mind if you want to claim the bonus.

Step 4: Get To Your Bets!

When your deposit arrives in your BetOnline sportsbook wallet, you can jump into the action. But take your time and also research well to find events and bets that have a good chance of beating the odds.

Most Popular Sports to Bet on in Iowa

Online betting in Iowa is thriving because the people here really love their sports. So, let’s take a look at some of the most popular sports for betting at the best Iowa sports wagering sites.

1. NFL: The NFL is probably the most popular option in the Hawkeye State with fans getting banking on the Chicago Bears mostly.
2. NHL: Betting on the NHL is another popular option in IA, with plenty of NHL fans here getting behind the Minnesota Wild.
3. MLB: The St. Louis Cardinals are the most followed baseball team in Iowa, as there is no pro team in the state. Fans also follow the Cardinals through the lengthy MLB season, betting on everything from match-winners to total home runs.
4. NBA: The Timberwolves is the NBA team that a good chunk of Iowans follow. Moreover, other teams and matchups also attract plenty of NBA betting options as there are a lot of games happening every week during the regular season.
5. Tennis: There are some top-tier US tennis players on the tour, with guys like Francis Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz lighting up the courts. Moreover, gamblers in Iowa also enjoy betting on tennis events in the country, like the Miami Open and the US Open.

Uncover Our Top Sportsbooks Selections Related to Your Favorite Sports

Popular Type of Bets at IA Online Sportsbooks

Iowa gaming sites offer every type of online sports betting market you could ever hope to find. The platforms in our list usually offer these popular markets:

• Moneyline: A moneyline bet is where you simply predict who you think will win a match.
• Spread betting: Betting on whether the favorite will win by more than a set margin or if the underdog will lose within the margin.
• Parlays: The ability to create an online bet that has multiple markets in it (also called legs). They have higher rewards but much greater risk; if one of the markets doesn’t succeed, then the whole bet is a bust.
• Over/Under: Sportsbooks will let you bet on whether there is going to be over or under a set number on the market. For example, over/under bets on the number of points scored in an NBA game.
• Prop Bets: Here, you can bet on very specific outcomes in a game, like the number of foul balls thrown or whether Lebron James will score first in a match.
• Live Bets: You can place bets on matches that are still live. These markets and their odds shift quickly as the games progress.

Betting Apps & Mobile Sites for Sports Betting In Iowa

Most of the sportsbooks in this guide do not offer Iowa sports betting apps you can download on mobiles. However, they have all ensured to mobile-optimize the gambling site to run perfectly well on mobile browsers.

Retail Sports Betting Locations in Iowa

There are actually a couple of great locations in Iowa for betting in person. Here are three locations that stand out:

• Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona
• Riverside Casino & Golf Resort in Riverside
• Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf in Bettendorf

Other Betting and Gambling Options in Iowa

Now that you know online sports betting is legal in Iowa, let’s take a look at other gambling opportunities available in the Hawkeye State.

• Retail Casinos: Retail casinos are widely available in Iowa.
• Online Casinos: There are no legal online casinos in Iowa.
• Poker: Iowa has plenty of legal poker rooms that you can find at the retail casinos.
• Bingo Halls: You can also find a good number of Bingo Halls as well.
• Fantasy Sports: Fantasy sports betting is legal in IA.

Online Sports Betting in Nearby States to Iowa

Here’s what the landscape for legal sports betting online looks like for Iowa’s neighboring states:

• Illinois: Betting on sports is fully legal in Illinois, with options for both online and in-person betting.
• Wisconsin: Online betting in Wisconsin is legal and live in the state.
• Minnesota: Sports betting in Minnesota remains illegal.

Responsible Gambling in Iowa

Responsible gambling is a key part of ensuring a positive online betting experience. All of the Iowa sports gaming sites in our guide give you access to RG tools. You can either set limits on your deposits, make sure there is a cap on how much you can lose daily, or you can even cool off from using your account by using the self exclusion tools. In addition, some of these platforms also give you links to responsible gambling organizations like the National Council on Problem Gambling and Gamblers Anonymous.

Conclusion: Best Iowa Sportsbook Online

BetOnline offers a stellar range of sports and markets and other excellent features like live streaming and BET TV. BetOnline also treats users to a nifty bonus bet when they sign up for the first time, making it ideal to get involved with the latest sports markets.

Iowa Sports Betting FAQs

Is sports betting legal in Iowa?

Yes, legal sports betting takes place in the Hawkeye State.

Is online sports betting legal in Iowa?

Yes, you can bet on sports with online sportsbooks in the state. In addition, you can choose from an array of brilliant offshore sportsbooks as well as a few state-regulated Iowa sports betting platforms.

Are offshore betting websites legal in IA?

Yes, you are well within your rights to place bets on offshore sites in IA.

What are the best Iowa sportsbooks?

BetOnline tops our list with its stellar range of betting options and exciting bonus offers.

Is it safe to bet on sports online in IA?

Yes, the sportsbooks in our top 10 list are some of the most secure betting platforms available in IA.

Can I use a VPN for sports betting in Iowa?

Yes, if you feel you need more privacy, you can use a VPN to access offshore Iowa gambling websites.