Despite the Pandemic, Sports Betting in Iowa is Up in 2020

Despite a pandemic and a fall with no Hawkeye football, sports betting in the state of Iowa is actually seeing an increase in 2020. Week one of the NFL season is officially in the books and casinos saw plenty of action involving all teams and games. It is year two for legalized sports betting in Iowa and many thought the industry, like so many others in the pandemic, would suffer. But now, all bets are ON.

Dan Franz is the General Manager at Riverside Casino and Golf Resort. He told CBS2 that you can put a bet on pretty much anything at the Draft Day Lounge at the casino. Well, almost everything. Frantz said that there were 20 games that players could put bets on this past weekend. Last year at this time, there were 75. Thats down two thirds thanks to the pandemic. Frantz told CBS2 that players aren't as concerned with betting on a certain team each week, instead betting on matchups. Frantz said that between 90 and 95% of Riverside's gambling takes place online.

According to LegalSportsReport.com, since last August when sports gambling became legal in Iowa, the state has handled around $391 million across all sports. That breaks down to a $28 million revenue, and a $2 million tax revenue for the state. Frantz told CBS2 that the casino's four busiest months are the NFL season. Riverside handled just over $3 million in online bets in August alone. The NFL led the way last year in $13 billion in legal bets made. That was up from over $6 billion in 2018.