The DraftKings Sportsbook app has officially arrived in the state of Iowa.
DK launched its popular online betting app on Wednesday, allowing bettors that are within Iowa state lines to place sports wagers on their phones.
Users must first register in-person at any of the three Wild Rose casinos in Iowa before using the app.
“DraftKings has seen steady fan engagement in Iowa during the last few months at our three Wild Rose sportsbooks across the state, and we couldn’t be more excited to provide customers with our state-of-the-art mobile sports-betting platform,” DraftKings co-founder Matt Kalish said in a press release. “We have worked diligently to perfect our sportsbook product since it launched in 2018, and starting today, we’re proud to offer Iowans a safe and responsible place to wager on sports – one that can be accessed conveniently from the palm of their hands.”
In-person registration
Online sports bettors in Iowa will no longer need to register in-person starting on Jan. 1, 2021. Up until that date, however, all online users will first need to set up an account at a brick-and-mortar site. In-person registration for DraftKings’ new app is available at Wild Rose locations in Jefferson, Clinton and Emmetsburg.
Users can then bet anywhere within the state following the in-person registration.
“We believe DraftKings is offering the best mobile app yet to Iowa sports betting enthusiasts,” said Tom Timmons, president and COO of Wild Rose. “Since we opened the sportsbooks, we have been deluged with requests for this app. We are happy to offer it now, with the NCAA basketball tournament just around the corner.”
Pennsylvania blueprint
DraftKings Sportsbook is poised to change the sports betting landscape in Iowa. The daily fantasy giant turned sports betting juggernaut was a leader out of the gate in the state of New Jersey in the summer of 2018. New Jersey has been something of a model for many states launching legal sports betting over the past year and a half.
A better comp for Iowa may be the state of Pennsylvania, which began mobile with smaller casino apps that did not have the brand power of a DraftKings or FanDuel.
Within months of launch, however, DraftKings and FanDuel become the No. 1 and No. 2 betting apps in Pennsylvania – surging past the smaller books.
DraftKings took nearly $36 million in bets in Pennsylvania during the month of December. It then skyrocketed to $58.6 million in January.
FanDuel, which remains the standard bearer in the Keystone State, took $153 million in January.
Play by the rules
You must be 21 years of age or older to place a wager on the DraftKings sportsbook app in Iowa.
Another legal stipulation in Iowa is that sportsbooks are not allowed to take prop wagers on a player representing a university or college in the state.