Gamblers in Iowa May Soon Be Abel to Enjoy Legal Sports Betting

According to state representative Bobby Kaufmann, who is the primary sponsor of the sports gambling bill in Iowa, punters in the state may soon be able to legally enjoy placing on their favorite sports teams, as the bill is expected to be voted on soon by the House of Representatives in the state. After going through several amendments, the legislation has already been cleared by the House Committee, which is one of the main hurdles.

If things go as expected, the sports betting bill will be put to a floor vote by mid-April. About a week ago, it was passed by the House Ways and Means Committee with a 16-7 vote which is a strong indication that it has bipartisan support. Considering all these developments, it appears the bill will likely not be facing any enormous obstacle to getting passed.

As is the case with sports betting in many other states in the United States, the bill will not be allowing gamblers to place their bets on either the state’s college sports teams or their opponents. Bets on individual players are also prohibited. The state government will be taking a tax of 6.75 percent on net receipts, out of which 25 percent will be going to the development of gambling treatment programs, which will be taken over by the state’s Department of Public Health.

The bill allows casinos to offer mobile gambling. However, if a player has an account which was created before January 1, 2021, they will be required to go to the casino in person to establish their accounts. According to legislators, this requirement has been introduced so that there will be a level playing field for the 22 casinos in Iowa.

Future amendments may be required

Although the sports betting bill in Iowa has received a lot of support with very few obstacles, this may not be the situation in the near future. In the coming weeks, new amendments that could change the bill are expected to be filed. On top of this, one legislator who previously voted yes on the bill has said that she may change her mind and change her vote to a “no” in the floor vote.

Representative Mary Wolfe, in a piece she wrote for the Clinton Herald, said that she is concerned about the low tax rate proposed by the bill, and is pushing for a mobile fee of 3 percent. This mobile fee will be placed on all wagers placed online.