Iowa July sports betting handle hits $89m

Iowa sportsbooks generated July handle of $88.9m, a 20% decrease from June as the Hawkeye State bears through the slowest period of the sports calendar.

July marked Iowa’s lowest sports betting handle since November 2020 and was the fourth consecutive month of declining wagers.

Online accounted for $77.9m of July wagers. Operator revenue was $7.1m for the month, compared to $8.4m in June.

PlayUSA analyst Jessica Welman said the low handle reflects a lack of a summer sports offerings in states like Iowa that don’t have a professional team.

“The Olympics and the later-than-usual NBA Finals gave bettors more opportunities to place a bet than what would be a typical July, but neither were able to move the needle much,” said Welman. “Bettors simply check out in July, when summer vacations and other pursuits take precedence. But a surge in betting will certainly come with the beginning of the football season.”

According to PlayUSA research, July has annually produced the lowest handle of any month since the US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018.

Caesars Sportsbook, recently rebranded from William Hill, led Iowa handle with $31.1m, generating $1m in revenue.

Wild Rose/DraftKings/BetRivers finished second with $25.2m in handle and led the market with revenue of $2.4m.

Iowa should benefit from the return of NFL preseason games in August. Because of the state’s geographical positioning in the Midwest, Iowans tend to have a wide variety of NFL allegiances which pushes up football wagering.

Ezra Amacher

Visit Profile

Players trust our reporting due to our commitment to unbiased and professional evaluations of the iGaming sector. We track hundreds of platforms and industry updates daily to ensure our news feed and leaderboards reflect the most recent market shifts. With nearly two decades of experience within iGaming, our team provides a wealth of expert knowledge. This long-standing expertise enables us to deliver thorough, reliable news and guidance to our readers.