Bettors in the state of Iowa now have another option for online sports betting.
On Monday, Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) completed the launch of a ‘mobile-friendly’ online sportsbook for its partner Hard Rock International in Iowa.
Iowa’s residents will now be able to place sports wagers at the land-based sportsbook at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City and via online platforms.
Chris Armes, Chief Information Officer at GiG said “The project went live smoothly after many weeks of hard work from both GiG and Hard Rock. We are pleased to entertain consumers with a safe and exciting first-class omnichannel sports betting experience.”
Kresimir Spajic, Senior Vice President of Online Gaming at Hard Rock International said, “We’re excited to extend our partnership with GiG to support sports betting in Iowa, and further grow our sportsbook portfolio.”
Hard Rock and sports betting
Hard Rock began its entry into the US sports betting market through a partnership with GiG in 2018. This covered the launch of online casino and sports betting operations in the state of New Jersey.
The companies expanded their deal in September to help cover the launch of Hard Rock’s sports betting offering in Iowa.
With the launch of its GiG-powered online sportsbook, Hard Rock can now offer Iowans the same sports betting experience offered in New Jersey.
Sports betting in Iowa
Governor Kim Reynolds signed Iowa’s betting bill into law back in May. With just 94 days between the signing of the bill and the launch of sports betting in the Hawkeye State, Iowa’s timeline to launch sports betting was one of the quickest in the US.
Under the state’s sports betting laws, residents and visitors must be at least 21 years of age and physically located within state lines before they can place a bet. Operators in the state are required to use geolocation technology to verify a customer’s location.
In November, Iowa’s sportsbooks processed $59.3m in sports wagers and held onto $3.6m. The majority of bets were placed online with bettors wagering $33.7m with online sportsbooks.
