2021 ended on a high note for Iowa sports betting as the state continued to bring in impressive numbers. While unable to best the record-breaking month that was November, December saw the Hawkeye State generate over $13m in revenue from a total handle of almost $270m.
This marks a positive conclusion to the year that saw an end to in-person registration rules throughout the state, catapulting the region to $2bn in wagers annually.
Specifically, total handle for December came in at $266.5m for both online and retail sportsbooks, marking a 154% year-on-year increase from the $104.8m recorded in 2020. Conversely, December was unable to match the heights of November, a month which saw record-breaking numbers as the NFL returned in full swing.
This relatively impressive handle saw the volume of betting per day come in at $8.6m compared to November’s $9.6m.
Revenue, while still high, also fell, dropping to $13.4m from $19.7m in November. Despite this decrease, December was still the second most profitable month in the state’s history and yielded $957,637 in tax revenue.
Online dominated the Hawkeye State in December, with 90.7% of handle coming from the segment. Caesars Entertainment continued its reign as Iowa’s top sportsbook, bringing in $90.1m in wagers and yielding $3.6m in net respects.
DraftKings followed close behind with $72.3m in online wagers and a revenue of $3m, while in the retail space Diamond Jo Worth led the pack with $6.2m in bets and $271,676 in revenue.
Ultimately, December marked an impressive end to an impressive year for sports betting in Iowa. Retail wagers increased by 255% when compared to 2020 and online boomed, growing by 344%. Iowa will likely come in as the tenth most profitable state in terms of sports betting.
