In Iowa, Senate Bill 1168 passed the Senate Government Subcommittee and moved to the full committee. The next stop would be the full Senate. The bill would allow sports betting at the state’s 19 casinos, horseracing tracks and “other gambling structures” as well as online and mobile betting on college and professional sports. State Senator Roby Smith, the bill’s sponsor, said, “It’s a work in progress. We’re going to have more time to vet this out. It’s a complicated issue. We want to make sure we take our time. We want to do this right.” He added, “What’s important for me in this bill is that it ensures integrity but most importantly the safety and protection of those that participate in sports wagering.”
Players would have to register in person at sports books before placing bets there or online or via smartphones. However, the bill sunsets this requirement after 18 months.
The measure does not include any royalty or integrity fee to professional or major sports leagues, however, the state gaming commission would be authorized to share any unusual wagering activity with a sports team or league. The bill also would legalize fantasy sports.
State Senator Tony Bisignano voted against the bill in subcommittee, noting he would like some of the profits to go to charity. He said, “We just voted out of subcommittee a sports betting bill that we have no idea the tax rates we’re going to charge, the fees and the license or how we’re going to deal with fantasy sports.”
State Rep. Bobby Kaufman said he’s working on a similar bill that will be “at 90 percent agreement” with SB 1168.
Eight other sports betting bills currently are active in the state legislature.
In anticipation of one of them passing, Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino announced last month it was building an 8,600 square foot sports book on the premises and partnering with sports betting operator William Hill to operate it.
Iowa considered sports betting legislation last year, but no bill made it out of committee and the session ended just before the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the federal ban.
