Iowa Betting Sites, Apps & Guide
Iowa was one of the first Midwest states to legalize sports betting, and the first bets went in on August 15, 2019. Every online sportsbook is tied to one of the state's licensed casinos, and since 2021 you can sign up from your phone instead of visiting a casino first.
Below is our list of the best Iowa apps, followed by a closer look at each one we recommend. Then we cover the rules on age and college betting, how Iowa taxes winnings, and the questions we hear most.
Offers checked November 4, 2026. Terms apply to every offer, so read them on the operator's site before you sign up.
Best Iowa apps
Underdog: Trading involves risk, including total loss on positions
Polymarket US: 18+ Only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Not available in all jurisdictions. Trading is risky. 100% loss can occur. See polymarket.com/tos for more information. The Polymarket US App serves as an independent software provider and affiliate of Polymarket US and Polymarket Clearing, the CFTC-regulated exchange and clearing organization.
See below for more information.
Iowa app reviews
Every app on the list has a card below with the offer we checked, what it is best at and the devices it runs on.
1. FanDuel
FanDuel opened its first Iowa sportsbook in August 2019, two weeks after betting went live, through Boyd Gaming's Diamond Jo casinos. The app is the easiest of the bunch to find your way around.
Same game parlays take a few taps, and the NFL and NBA prop menus go deep. Props on Iowa college players are off the board here, at FanDuel and everywhere else.
- Welcome offer: Bet $5+ for 4 Days, Get $200 in Bonus Bets
- Live in Iowa since: 2019
- Best for: Same game parlays and an easy app
- Apps: iOS, Android and desktop
Read our full FanDuel review, or claim the offer here.
2. DraftKings
DraftKings came to Iowa through the Wild Rose casinos in Clinton, Emmetsburg and Jefferson, and it runs the retail sportsbook at all three. That makes it one of the few apps here you can also walk up to.
Daily odds boosts and betting pools are its strengths, and every bet earns credit in Dynasty Rewards.
- Welcome offer: Spend $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets + 3 Months of NBA League Pass
- Live in Iowa since: February 2020
- Best for: Odds boosts and betting pools
- Apps: iOS, Android and desktop
Read our full DraftKings review, or claim the offer here.
3. BetMGM
BetMGM launched in Iowa in 2021 through Diamond Jo Worth in Northwood. It covers more sports than most books here, from the NFL down to snooker and cricket.
Edit My Bet lets you swap legs or change the stake on an open bet, and wagers earn BetMGM Rewards points.
- Welcome offer: Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if Your First Bet Does Not Win
- Live in Iowa since: 2021
- Best for: A big sports menu and Edit My Bet
- Apps: iOS, Android and desktop
Read our full BetMGM review, or claim the offer here.
4. Fanatics
Fanatics went live in Iowa on February 6, 2024, launching from Burlington and taking over the sportsbook at Catfish Bend Casino. Existing PointsBet customers moved straight across.
Every bet earns FanCash, which you can spend on jerseys and gear or turn back into bets.
- Welcome offer: Bet $20, Get $350 in FanCash ($50 a Day for 7 Days)
- Live in Iowa since: February 6, 2024
- Best for: Earning FanCash on every bet
- Apps: iOS, Android and desktop
Read our full Fanatics review, or claim the offer here.
5. bet365
bet365 launched in Iowa on June 5, 2023, partnered with Casino Queen Marquette on the Mississippi. It is one of the largest sportsbooks in the world and is at its best in live betting.
Early Payout can settle a bet as a winner before the game ends, and soccer and tennis markets go deeper than at most US apps.
- Welcome offer: Bet $10 and Get $200 in Bonus Bets Win or Lose
- Live in Iowa since: June 5, 2023
- Best for: Live betting and soccer
- Apps: iOS, Android and desktop
Read our full bet365 review, or claim the offer here.
6. theScore Bet
PENN Entertainment's sportsbook has been in Iowa since 2023, first as ESPN BET, then as theScore Bet from December 1, 2025.
Scores, stats and news from theScore app sit beside your bets, so you can follow a game and bet on it in one place.
- Welcome offer: Use Code GETOFFER: $1,000 First Bet Reset Paid in Bonus Bets
- Live in Iowa since: 2023, as theScore Bet since December 1, 2025
- Best for: Following scores and betting in one app
- Apps: iOS, Android and desktop
Read our full theScore Bet review, or claim the offer here.
7. Underdog
Underdog runs a sports prediction market on its own CFTC-regulated exchange, alongside Rips card packs, in the same app as its fantasy games. Its state eligibility page lists only Prediction Picks and Rips as open in Iowa, where Pick'em and Best Ball drafts are not offered.
- Welcome offer: Use Code GETOFFER: Play $10, Get $50 in Bonus Entries
- Best for: Sports prediction picks
- Apps: iOS, Android and web
Trading involves risk, including total loss on positions
Read our full Underdog review, or claim the offer here.
8. Kalshi
Kalshi is a CFTC-regulated exchange where contracts on games, rates and weather trade from 1 to 99 cents and settle at $1. It is overseen by the CFTC rather than the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, and Iowa traders can buy contracts on Hawkeyes and Cyclones games from age 18.
- Welcome offer: Sign Up With Code TAPIN, Trade $25 and Get $25
- Best for: Event trading with limit orders
- Apps: iOS, Android and web
Read our full Kalshi review, or claim the offer here.
9. Polymarket US
Polymarket US is a CFTC-regulated exchange with markets on sports, politics, economics, crypto and culture, and makers earn a rebate on filled limit orders. It operates in Iowa under federal oversight, outside the Racing and Gaming Commission's licensing system.
- Welcome offer: Use Code GETOFFER: Deposit $10, Get a Free $25 to Trade
- Best for: Order-book trading across many markets
- Apps: iOS, Android and web
18+ Only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Not available in all jurisdictions. Trading is risky. 100% loss can occur. See polymarket.com/tos for more information. The Polymarket US App serves as an independent software provider and affiliate of Polymarket US and Polymarket Clearing, the CFTC-regulated exchange and clearing organization.
Read our full Polymarket US review, or claim the offer here.
10. Novig
Novig is a sports-only prediction market where you trade with other users, and pregame straight trades are commission-free. It runs under CFTC oversight rather than an Iowa license, and you must be 21 to join.
- Welcome offer: Use Code GETOFFER: Deposit $10, Get $50 in Trade Credits
- Best for: Commission-free pregame trades
- Apps: iOS, Android and web
Read our full Novig review, or claim the offer here.
11. ProphetX
ProphetX is a peer-to-peer sports exchange that the CFTC approved to run and clear its own trades, with commission only on net winnings. Iowa users can back or lay Hawkeyes and Cyclones games against other traders.
- Welcome offer: Sign Up With Code GETOFFER: Trade $40, Get $40 in Trading Bonus
- Best for: Trading college sports against other users
- Apps: iOS, Android and web
Read our full ProphetX review, or claim the offer here.
12. Fliff
Fliff plays like a sportsbook, with spreads, props and same game parlays, but you use free Fliff Coins or Fliff Cash that can be redeemed for prizes. Its casino sister site, Sidepot, left Iowa on July 1, 2026, when SF 2289 gave state regulators new powers over unlicensed operators, while the Fliff sports app stayed open here.
- Welcome offer: Use Code GETOFFER: Get Up to $250 in Free Play on Your First Purchase
- Best for: Sportsbook-style picks with no cash stakes
- Apps: iOS, Android and web
Read our full Fliff review, or claim the offer here.
13. ReBet
ReBet mixes a social sportsbook with a social casino, and its picks feed is the main reason to use it. Iowa players can follow friends' Hawkeyes and Cyclones picks and tail them with ReBet Coins or redeemable ReBet Cash.
- Welcome offer: Use Code GETBONUS: 100% Purchase Match up to $100 in ReBet Cash
- Best for: Tailing friends' parlays
- Apps: iOS, Android and web
Read our full ReBet review, or claim the offer here.
14. Courtside
Courtside is a social sportsbook from New York that mixes sports picks, player pick'em, arcade games and card rips in one app. Iowa has no major-league teams, but Hawkeyes and Cyclones games are on the board, and you can pick them with Courtside Coins or redeemable Courtside Cash.
- Welcome offer: Use Code GETOFFER: Spend $10, Get 50 in Free Picks
- Best for: Casual picks plus arcade games
- Apps: iOS and Android
Read our full Courtside review, or claim the offer here.
15. Onyx Odds
Onyx Odds looks and feels like a sportsbook app, with spreads, props, parlays and live picks, but play runs on Onyx Coins and redeemable Onyx Cash. Iowa fans can pick Hawkeyes games or follow the Chiefs and Vikings without risking their own money.
- Welcome offer: Use Code GETOFFER: Spend $10, Get 50 in Bonus Picks
- Best for: A sportsbook layout with free play
- Apps: iOS, Android and mobile web
Read our full Onyx Odds review, or claim the offer here.
How to sign up with an Iowa sportsbook
- Pick a sportsbook from this guide and tap its offer link.
- Choose Join or Sign Up and enter your name, date of birth, email and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
- Allow location access. The app checks that you are inside Iowa before it takes a bet.
- Upload a photo of your ID if the app cannot verify you automatically.
- Make a first deposit by debit card, online banking, PayPal or another method the book accepts. Iowa does not allow credit card deposits.
- Opt in to the welcome offer if it asks you to, then place your first bet.
How to place a bet in Iowa
- Open the app and pick a sport, a league and a game.
- Tap the odds for the bet you want: a moneyline, spread, total or player prop.
- Enter your stake. The bet slip shows what you would win.
- Check the slip, then tap Place Bet.
- Track the bet under My Bets, where you can cash out early if the book offers it.
Iowa sports betting at a glance
| Online sports betting | Legal, live since August 15, 2019 |
| Retail sportsbooks | Yes, at licensed casinos |
| Minimum age | 21 |
| Regulator | Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission |
| Online sportsbooks live | 12 |
| Tax on winnings | Flat 3.8% state income tax |
| College betting | Games yes; no props on Iowa college players |
| Where you can bet | Anywhere inside Iowa |
Sports betting law in Iowa
Governor Kim Reynolds signed SF 617 in May 2019, and both retail and online betting opened on August 15 that year. The law gives sports wagering licenses to the state's licensed casinos. Online sportsbooks need their own license from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission and a casino partner, and each casino can host up to three apps.
For the first year and a half you had to register in person at a casino before betting online. That rule ended on January 1, 2021, and the market grew quickly afterward. Some brands have since left, including the online Hard Rock sportsbook in 2023, while bet365 and Fanatics arrived. In 2026 lawmakers passed SF 2289, which lets the commission order unlicensed sites, offshore books and illegal sweepstakes operators to stop serving Iowans.
Iowa teams to bet on
Iowa has no major-league pro team, so most bettors here follow the Hawkeyes, the Cyclones and the teams in neighboring states.
- Iowa Hawkeyes (college): Play in the Big Ten. Their games are on the board, but player props on Iowa college athletes are not.
- Iowa State Cyclones (college): Play in the Big 12. Jimmy Rogers took over as head football coach in December 2025, after Matt Campbell left for Penn State.
- Drake and Northern Iowa (college): Both are regular picks in college basketball, under the same no-player-props rule.
- Neighboring pro teams: The Chiefs, Bears, Packers and Vikings in the NFL and the Cubs, Cardinals, Royals and Twins in MLB all have big followings here.
- Horse racing: Prairie Meadows in Altoona runs live racing and simulcast betting.
Responsible gambling in Iowa
Set a budget before you bet and use the deposit, wager and time limits every licensed app offers. If betting stops being fun, call 1-800-BETS-OFF (1-800-238-7633), text (855) 895-8398 or chat through Your Life Iowa. It is free, confidential and open around the clock. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission runs a self-exclusion program that bars you from every licensed casino, racetrack, sportsbook and fantasy operator in the state. The national helpline, 1-800-GAMBLER, is also available.
FAQs
Is online sports betting legal in Iowa?
Yes. Online and retail sports betting have been legal since August 15, 2019, regulated by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. Twelve online sportsbooks are live.
How old do you have to be to bet on sports in Iowa?
You must be 21. Pick'em and prediction apps set their own minimum ages and check them when you sign up.
Which Iowa sportsbook should I download first?
We would start with FanDuel, which has the easiest app and strong same game parlays. DraftKings is a close second if you like odds boosts, and it also has retail sportsbooks at three Iowa casinos.
Can you bet on the Hawkeyes and Cyclones?
Yes. You can bet on Iowa, Iowa State and other in-state schools, including spreads, totals and futures. Props on individual Iowa college players are not allowed.
Do you pay tax on sports betting winnings in Iowa?
Yes. Winnings are taxable income for federal and state purposes, and Iowa taxes them at its flat 3.8% rate. Since January 1, 2026, sportsbooks also withhold 3.8% for Iowa when a win is large enough for federal withholding.
Do I have to sign up at a casino?
No. In-person registration ended on January 1, 2021. You can create an account and deposit from anywhere, and you only need to be inside Iowa when you bet.
Can visitors bet in Iowa?
Yes. You do not need to live here, only to be inside the state when you place a bet. The app checks your location each time.
21+ and present in IA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-BETS-OFF.
