Iowa Online Sports Betting: The Best Sportsbooks, Apps, Promo Codes & More

Sports betting has been live in Iowa for nearly two years, but there's been a huge barrier for Iowans during that time.

Since Iowa's sports betting bill was passed on May 20, 2019, and the state started accepting bets on August 15, 2019, bettors within the state had to travel to a casino to register for an account.

Once the account was made, bettors could deposit and bet online anywhere within state lines, but the physical requirement has severely hindered growth within the state.

As of January 1, 2021, though, Iowans can now sign up, deposit and bet all within the comfort of their own homes — or anywhere with internet access. It's likely a very welcome change in the world of COVID-19.

Those looking to get started have a couple options of sportsbooks already in PointsBet, DraftKings and FanDuel, with others — like BetMGM, William Hill and BetRivers, to name a few — coming very soon.

Here's a breakdown of the books and apps currently live in Iowa.

PointsBet Sportsbook

Originally founded in Australia, PointsBet got into the U.S. sports betting market shortly after the Supreme Court struck down PASPA in 2018 and allowed states to legalize sports betting. They're now offering online betting in five states — Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Colorado and New Jersey — with many more to come in 2021.

PointsBet is one of the most unique books in the industry and thrives due to its sleek app and unique offerings. One such feature is their "PointsBetting" product, which allows users to gain leverage on any bet.

For example, you can "PointsBet" Alabama -20 on the spread vs. Notre Dame in the College Football Playoffs, and you'll reap additional payouts for every point for which the Crimson Tide cover. If you bet $10 a point, say, you'd win $100 (10 times $10) if Alabama wins by 30 points. There is risk, of course, as the losses are also multiplied, but it's a creative offering you won't find with any other book in the market.

PointsBet also regularly offers some of the best new user promotions you'll see in the industry, as well as odds boosts and daily deals for existing users. If you're interested in odds pricing, they also typically have some of the best available, regularly offering -105 sides on major sports.

All in all, they're one of the best books in the U.S. and should continue to grow in coming years.

DraftKings Sportsbook

If you're even remotely interested in sports betting, you're likely already familiar with DraftKings, one of the giants of the nascent industry so far.

DraftKings was originally founded in 2012 as a daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator, and they quickly grew to become one of the biggest in that industry. When betting started becoming legalized state-by-state in 2018, they made the jump into sports betting and are already one of the biggest — if not the biggest — companies in the U.S.

Since launching its sports betting product in 2018, the company is now offering online betting in Iowa, New Jersey, Indiana, West Virginia, Colorado, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and New Hampshire. They also have physical books in New York and Mississippi. There's no doubt they'll be live in every U.S. state that legalizes sports betting in 2021 and beyond.

What makes DraftKings stand out as a sportsbook is its ease of use and sleek app. They've had years and years to work on their tech platforms given they've been in the DFS space for nearly a decade, and it shows with their sports betting app. They're one of the giants of the industry for a reason.

FanDuel Sportsbook

Like its rival in DraftKings, FanDuel also started as a DFS operator. They were founded all the way back in 2009 and have been one of the biggest companies in the speculation space ever since.

They also got into the sports betting game in 2018, shortly after being bought by European betting powerhouse Flutter Entertainment, which was founded when Paddy Power and Betfair merged. Flutter owns a wide variety of sports betting names, including FOX Bet, PokerStars, Sky Bet and TVG.

Like DraftKings, FanDuel has entered pretty much every U.S. market with legalized online betting. They're now live in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, Colorado, New Jersey, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. They'll absolutely continue to aggressively expand and acquire market share.

FanDuel's app is also very simple to use, and they have one of the easiest registration and deposit flows. They also have a nice new-user promotion, offering a $1,000 risk-free bet — one of the highest numbers in the market. In addition, they consistently offer odds boosts and enticing promotions to keep users coming back to the app.

FanDuel's offer includes just a 1X rollover requirement. Not sure what that means? We explain it here.