William Hill Online Sportsbook Review and Promo Code

Is William Hill legal in Iowa?

Yes, William Hill is legal throughout the state of Iowa, both for its retail and online sportsbook operations.

Sport betting was legalized in Iowa thanks to the passage of SF 617 in May 2019. A few months later, in August, William Hill became the first sportsbook in the state to launch its sports betting app. William Hill also is partnered with four retail casinos in Iowa, with the ability to register in person at all of them.

When it comes to college betting, be aware that while you can wager on Iowa colleges, prop betting on any individual college athlete is prohibited.

Regular promotions available on the William Hill sports betting app

The promotions that William Hill’s online sportsbook offers players are some of the most distinctive ones we have seen at any sportsbook in the state. They are rarely a simple “Bet this much money, receive a free bet for this much in return” type of offer. Instead, you are rewarded based on how teams and players perform. Let’s take a look at how some of the offers are structured.

During the NFL season, William Hill had a promo for select games in which you received a free bet based on the longest touchdown scored by your team if you placed a pregame wager of $100 on the standard point spread. So if you bet $100 on the Kansas City Chiefs and during their game they scored a 60-yard touchdown, you then received a $60 free bet.

For Major League Baseball games, the sportsbook rewarded users with free bets that were calculated based on how many singles ($1), doubles ($2), triples ($3), home runs ($5) and grand slams ($20) the team you bet on recorded.

While in the NBA, your free bet amount was determined by the number of points over 20 that players on your wagered-on team scored in a game. So if one player had 35 points and another finished with 25, you would receive a $20 free wager.

And in the NHL, your free-bet amount was based on the number of power-play goals the team you bet on scored in the game. Each goal earned you $5, so three power-play goals equaled $15.

The MLB and NBA promos required a $50 pregame wager, while the NHL offer only needed a $35 bet.

Clearly, William Hill’s promos are different from the standard fare at most other sportsbooks. Obviously if the team you bet on has a good game, these rewards are much better, whereas if your team has an off night, you could end up both losing your bet and not getting much of a free bet in return.

How to create a William Hill account in Iowa

In order to create your sports betting account with William Hill, you can use either the William Hill website or betting app. The app is available for Android and Apple, and if you need help downloading it, check out the section below. Otherwise here’s a step-by-step guide to creating your William Hill Sportsbook account in Iowa.

1. Once you’ve opened the app or accessed the William Hill website, click the gold “Register” rectangle.
2. In the first registration box, you must enter your number, email address, date of birth and phone number.
3. On the next page, you must create a password and then select and answer two additional security questions. Here you also need to supply William Hill with the last four digits of your Social Security number as well as your home address. This is the page where you will enter the promo code LEGALRF in order to receive your initial risk-free bet. And lastly, check the terms and conditions boxes before hitting submit.

That’s all it takes to get signed up with William Hill’s online sportsbook. Completing the process should take just a matter of minutes.

As of Jan. 1, 2021, you are able to sign up remotely for a William Hill online account as well as all other online sportsbooks in the state. Previously, you were required to complete the process in person at a partner casino or sportsbook. But now you can complete the entire process from anywhere in Iowa.

William Hill Sportsbook app in Iowa

The William Hill Sportsbook app is available for iOS (iPhones and iPads) and Android devices alike. And not only does it operate in nearly identical ways on both operating systems, but the William Hill website is almost indistinguishable from the two, as well.

This section is dedicated to the William Hill app, but since the transition between the app and website is so seamless, much of what we cover here works the same way when using the William Hill website.

How to download the William Hill Sportsbook app for Iowa

You need to have the William Hill Sportsbook app on your phone in order to use it, so to get it there, you can follow our links to the William Hill site for either version.

To begin the download process, you will need to click on the file and then grant permission to have the file downloaded. After the download process finishes, which should take less than a minute, you will click on the file in order to have the app installed on your tablet or phone. You will need to grant permission to do so a second time.

When the app has finished installing, you are ready to either get registered or simply to start using the app.

Navigating the William Hill app

One thing we believe will be clear right from the beginning of your journey with William Hill is how uncluttered the app is. Many sportsbook apps in Iowa have games, offers and more across the top, bottom and running down the sides of pages. William Hill on the other hand doesn’t get bogged down with extras. Instead the app is straight to the point, which we find very refreshing.

Now let’s narrow our app overview to some of the most important aspects.

• Homepage: Every time you open the app you’ll be taken to the homepage. Here you’ll see your account balance in the upper right corner. Below is a marquee that scrolls and usually has four offers/announcements. Next is a listing of all the sports you can wager on at William Hill and what events are currently going on that you can place live bets
  After that you’ll see the most popular sports and games to bet on. What we really like about this area is that you can click on the arrow to the right of each sport, and it will collapse the entire sport if you’re not interested in wagering on any of those games.
• Bet Slip: While the majority of bet slips at online sportsbooks are pretty much the same, we do think William Hill’s is slightly better than most. Instead of having to go to different tabs to place single, parlay or round robin wagers you can do it all in one spot by simply scrolling down a little. The real benefit for you the bettor is that you’re able to see in one spot the different amounts you’ll win based on how you choose to make your wagers.
• Promotions Page: Rarely at William Hill do you need to opt in to promos. Instead you’ll check the rules for the promo, and it will explain what you need to do to be eligible for each promotion.
• My Account: To access your account, click the icon in either the upper or lower right-hand corner of the app. From here you can check your bet history, change your account settings, change how odds are displayed, contact William Hill’s customer support team or simply log out of your account. At the top of your account are also tabs for depositing or withdrawing money from your account.

Best features of the William Hill Sportsbook app

Picking just three of our favorite features from the William Hill app was difficult because the Iowa sportsbook does so many things well, but here is what we settled on:

• Unique Promotions: There are a few things we really like about William Hill’s promotions. First and foremost is the fact that you usually do not have to opt into them. Instead you just need to place a wager of a predetermined amount, and you’re set. We also like the fact that the promos reward you based on how the team you bet on performs in a game. It ends up being like two bets in one.
• Customer Service Options: Honestly, the customer service department is rarely something people consider when they join an online sportsbook, but that shouldn’t be the case. The last thing you want is to run into issues and not be able to resolve them before you need to make a bet or before a game starts. At William Hill Sportsbook, there are so many ways to seek help that getting an answer when you need it is very easy.
• Search Bar and Collapsible Tabs: When there’s a specific game or team you want to bet on there’s nothing more frustrating than clicking and scrolling and repeating the process trying to find what you’re looking for. That’s what makes William Hill’s search bar so great. Just type in what you’re looking for and there it is. Also, we love being able to collapse sports by clicking on the arrow when searching; it makes finding what you’re looking for super easy.

How could William Hill Sportsbook improve?

We’ve said before that William Hill is great, but we’ve never said it’s perfect. Here are three things that the Iowa sportsbook could improve:

• Smaller Entry Fee for Promos: We’ve already detailed multiple times how much we like the promos at William Hill, and we do. What we aren’t big fans of, however, is the entry fee requirements needed to be eligible for them. Most of their promos require moneyline or spread bets of $50-$100. We don’t see any reason why the promotions couldn’t be amended to allow $1-$10 bettors access as well. All you would need to do is base the reward on how much money you bet. That way bigger bettors still would receive the same bonus, but small-time players would get to partake, too.
• Add Single-Game Parlays: Here’s a change we wouldn’t be surprised to see happen in the coming months. More and more sportsbooks are adding single-game parlays, and there’s a good reason for it, because they’re great. In SGPs you’re able to make parlays involving only one game (which you probably figured out based on the name). So, for example, you can bet on the moneyline, total and spread while also adding in a few player props.

Types of bets available on William Hill

Some new sports bettors are surprised by the number of bets available at online sportsbooks like William Hill in Iowa. For that reason we’ve put together a roundup of all the types of sports wagers you can make at William Hill.

• Moneyline: The moneyline is a bet on which team will win a game straight up. The odds associated with moneyline bets represent how much money you stand to win. The moneyline for a St. Louis Blues-Chicago Blackhawks game could be Blues -160, Blackhawks +140. In this example the Blues are the favorite, and if you bet $160 on them you would receive a profit of $100. A $100 bet on the underdog Blackhawks would see you win $140.
• Spreads: Spreads represent an estimated margin of victory in a game. If you bet on the favorite, that team must surpass the spread, while if you bet on the underdog, it must either win the game outright or keep the margin closer than the spread. The line for a Milwaukee Bucks-Chicago Bulls game could be Bucks -15.5, Bulls +15.5. This means the Bucks need to win by 16 points or more to cover the spread. The Bulls, however, can cover the spread by either winning the game or by losing by 15 points or fewer.
• Totals: Also known as over/unders, totals are bets on how many runs/goals/points will be scored as opposed to betting on a team to win a game. You are wagering on whether the actual total will be above or below the number set by the sportsbook. The total for a Chicago White Sox-Minnesota Twins game might be 8.5. So if you take the over, you are betting that the combined number of runs scored in the game will be nine or more. Thus, if the game ends 6-5, you’ll be a winner.
• Props: When it comes to prop bets, you’re making side bets on whether specific things will happen. We like to think of props at a sportsbook asking you a question and you answer whether it will come to pass. A prop bet for a Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers game could be: Will Packers wide receiver Davante Adams have more than 79.5 yards receiving in the game?
• Parlays: Parlays are single wagers that involve two or more bets. Since multiple bets are being lumped together, you need to get all of them correct in order to win your bet. A parlay during college football season could be for Iowa, Iowa State, Drake and Northern Iowa all to win their respective games that weekend. If just one of them loses, so does your parlay.
• Teasers: Teasers are usually football or basketball bets in which the point spread is adjusted in your favor. An NFL teaser would work like this: You’re betting on the Packers (-6.5), Bears (-2.5) and Minnesota Vikings (+4.5) to all cover the spread, but you tease it six points, so the new lines are Packers (-0.5), Bears (+3.5) and Vikings (+10.5).
• Round Robins: Round robins are a series of parlays grouped together that allow you to miss one game and still win some money. So a three-team round robin would become three two-game parlays. Here’s how it works: Instead of picking the Packers, Vikings and Bears all to win, you now have three bets: Packers and Vikings, Packers and Bears, and Vikings and Bears to win. So if the Packers lose, your third bet could still be a winner.
• Futures: Futures are odds that are posted far in advance of something taking place. Usually they have to do with players winning awards or teams winning their divisions, conferences or overall championships. Common futures bets could be wagering on the Chicago Cubs to win the World Series, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo to be named the NBA’s MVP or for the St. Louis Blues to win the Stanley Cup.
• Live Betting: For live betting, you are wagering on games that have already started. Live betting is usually available from the time a game starts until right before it ends. At times, live betting is halted if a team builds up too big of a lead. Examples of live betting are placing moneyline bets on teams while games are going or even betting on what will happen on the next pitch or possession.

Sports you can bet on at William Hill in Iowa

There’s something for just about every sports fan on the William Hill Sportsbook app.

If you like football you can wager on all the NFL and college football action you want. Baseball addicts have Major League Baseball, hockey aficionados have the NHL and basketball enthusiasts have the NBA, WNBA and college basketball.

There also are the PGA Tour for golf lovers, the WTA and ATP for tennis fans and UFC bets aplenty for MMA junkies. If motorsports are more your style, William Hill has lines for NASCAR, Formula One and IndyCar.

And be sure to check William Hill’s A-Z sports listings for even more sports that you can bet on.

Iowa sports team betting guide

There are not any pro teams from the Hawkeye State that we can bet on at William Hill, but we do have four Division I college schools.

Those schools are Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Drake and the University of Iowa. All four colleges have NCAA football and men’s basketball teams that you can bet on during their respective seasons.

But instead of just ignoring the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB, here’s a look at the teams in states bordering Iowa that you can choose to root for and bet on.

• NBA: We have three teams to pick from — the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference.
• NFL: Here we have four teams — the AFC West’s Kansas City Chiefs and in the NFC North you have the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.
• NHL: There are three NHL teams relatively close by, all residing in the Western Conference’s Central Division — the Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues.
• MLB: And in Major League Baseball there are not four, not five, but six teams to choose from. The three in the National League are the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers, while the three in the American League are the Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals.

William Hill Iowa futures bets

With futures markets varying from sportsbook to sportsbook, this section is devoted to looking at what William Hill’s futures odds look like for some of the top sports.

• College Football: William Hill has markets for which team will win the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC and ACC. Locally that means you can bet on either Iowa State (Big 12) or Iowa (Big Ten). William Hill also has a futures market for who will win the overall NCAA football national championship. Once again, both the Hawkeyes and Cyclone are the only teams from the state with odds available.
• College Basketball: Shortly before the 2020-21 college basketball season got underway, William Hill only had futures available for betting on the men’s national champion. At the time, there were odds listed for both Iowa and Iowa State, as well as for Northern Iowa, but there were not any listed for Drake.
• NBA: The markets for the NBA are some of the more impressive ones around. You can wager on the team you believe will win the title and which team will win each conference. For players, not only can you bet on the eventual MVP winner, but for the Defensive Player of the Year, too. And before the NBA draft, William Hill had tons of odds for where individual players would be selected.
• NFL: You can wager on the winner of the Super Bowl, AFC and NFC and all the division titles, too. But you also can bet on if a team will go 16-0 or 0-16 or for individual teams to make or miss the playoffs. On top of all that are markets for individual player awards.
• NHL: William Hill has futures markets for which team will lift the Stanley Cup and for which teams will come out of both the Eastern and Western Conferences and play in the Stanley Cup Final.
• MLB: The Major League Baseball futures offered at William Hill are similar to those for the NHL. You can bet on who will win the World Series and what teams will win the AL and NL pennants.

How to deposit and cash out on the William Hill app

William Hill has plenty of ways to deposit funds into your account, including various in-person methods.

If you’re looking to do so via your mobile device or computer, you can use the online banking transfer option (which is what William Hill recommends). You can also use a Discover, Visa or Mastercard debit card, send an e-check or use a William Hill prepaid card.

As for in-person choices, you can go to a PayNearMe location or go to any one of the four casinos that William Hill Sportsbook is partnered with. A complete listing of all four locations is in the retail sportsbook section below.

When it comes to cashing out at William Hill, there are not as many methods, but there still are enough that it shouldn’t be a problem. You can have your money sent to you via a bank transfer, delivered via an e-check or by having your funds transferred to your William Hill prepaid card.

Withdrawal requests can take up to 72 hours to process, but the majority of the time they go much faster than that.

How to contact William Hill customer support

One of the better aspects of William Hill in Iowa is the number of ways in which you can reach out to customer support.

You can log on to the app or website and begin a live chat with a William Hill team member. You also can text (719-417-5179), call (855-754-1200) or email ([email protected]) in order to help get your issue resolved.

Before trying any of those options, you also can check William Hill’s help page and see if any of the articles it has can help solve your issue.

Responsible gambling at William Hill

There’s a full page of William Hill’s website focused on responsible gambling. On the page you will find links to help set limits on your William Hill account, as well as for excluding yourself from William Hill entirely.

There also are phone numbers to call if you or a person you know has a sports gambling problem.

Where are the William Hill Sportsbooks in Iowa?

William Hill is partners with six Iowa casinos that have retail sportsbooks.

• Harrah’s Council Bluffs
• Horseshoe Casino, Council Bluffs
• Isle casinos, Bettendorf and Waterloo
• Lakeside Hotel Casino, Osceola
• Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino, Altoona

Prairie Meadows is arguably the most successful in the state, thanks in part to its proximity to Des Moines.

Is William Hill the best sportsbook in Iowa?

Whether William Hill is the best sportsbook in Iowa is really a matter of opinion, but we don’t think it’s in doubt that William Hill Sportsbook is one of the top operators in the Hawkeye State.

Overall, William Hill offers pretty much exactly what you want from a sportsbook. It has a great app, a great website, and its odds and promotions are among the best in the business. And with such a long track record of success, it’s hard not envisioning William Hill as one of the top sports betting brands in Iowa for a long time to come.