The Hard Stance of Iowa on Poker Online
Iowa has similar gambling laws as Indiana and Illinois, in the fact that they encompass the whole idea of gambling, and not make so much of a distinction between game of chance and games of skill. Iowa simply defines gambling as:
725.7 Gaming and betting — penalty.
1. Except as permitted in chapters 99B [bingo] and 99D [racetracks], a person shall not do any of the following:
a. Participate in a game for any sum of money or other property of any value.
b. Make any bet.
c. For a fee, directly or indirectly, give or accept anything of value to be wagered or to be transmitted or delivered for a wager to be placed within or without the state of Iowa.
d. For a fee, deliver anything of value which has been received outside the enclosure of a racetrack licensed under chapter 99D to be placed as wagers in the pari-mutuel pool or other authorized systems of wagering.
e. Engage in bookmaking.
This statute is very broad, and deals with the act of wagering, instead of deciding which types of games are illegal and which are not.
Gambling Allowed in Iowa
Iowa is pretty much an open state when it comes to regulated gambling. They do allow several different forms of gambling as long as they adhere to the law. Iowa has a state-run lottery, and also allows pari-mutuel gambling on horse and dog races. Included in this are licensed commercial and Indian (Native American) casinos. At most of the racetracks, a few casino-style games are available for play.
Iowa does not really allow social gambling as a whole, but they do have one exception to that rule. As long as the participants do not lose or win more than $50 within 24-hours, there are no issues. However, gambling events rarely stop at a max limit of $50, which what causes the difficulties with social gambling.
Online Poker Law
Iowa does not allow anyone to operate or gamble on an online casino, or poker room inside, and even outside of the state. According to,
725.7 Gaming and betting — penalty.
1. Except as permitted in chapters 99B [bingo] and 99D [racetracks], a person shall not do any of the following:
c. For a fee, directly or indirectly, give or accept anything of value to be wagered or to be transmitted or delivered for a wager to be placed within or without the state of Iowa.
This part of the statute makes it clear that it does not matter how an individual gambles, if they gamble they are inherently breaking the law, regardless of the medium in which they accomplish the task. This could be construed as being part of the online gambling scene, even though they do not explicitly state it, and even though raids or penalties on online poker players has yet to be heard or seen in over a decade of online poker being available to us all – but we are not lawyers and can’t say much else from what is the fact.
Land Based Casinos and Tribal Stances
Iowa has both commercial and tribal casinos, which have to be licensed and regulated. They have more commercial casinos than tribal, as there are fewer tribes in the state. Most casinos, if they want to be allowed to use Class III games like poker and blackjack, have to be attached to a racetrack. The main Tribal casinos in Iowa are operated by the Winnebago, Sac & Fox, and Omaha tribes. As Iowa is a state where they allow both commercial and tribal casinos to operate, there have been some conflicts regarding laws.
Regarding online gambling, there should be no problem between the commercial and tribal casinos, as they each have a fair opportunity to jump on that bandwagon if it ever does get legalized and regulated.
State Regulated Online Poker
Estimated Date of Legalized Online Poker in Iowa: 2017-2018
Iowa is certainly one of the few states that have shown immense progress when it comes to regulating gambling, as it started with riverboat casinos and has now expanded that into casinos and racetracks. So, as far as Iowa regulating and running online poker sites, it is certainly a possibility. All that needs to happen is for that bill to pass, like in many other US states nowadays.
Online Lotteries
Iowa started their lottery in 1985, with their first instant scratch game “Scratch Match and Win”. Iowa uses the revenue gained from the selling of these tickets for social programs like the Veteran Fund. The lottery tickets can only be purchased through retailers, as they have not adopted the online ticket sales yet.
Online Poker Sites
It is clear that Iowa does not endorse or allow unregulated gambling, and that includes poker. However, the debate is whether or not online poker is under those laws. As of yet, there have been little to no problems between online poker players and the state, so it is safe to say that there is minimal risk for those that want to play on U.S. friendly poker sites like BetOnline and Ignition poker.
