How Mobile Could Start Early Before Iowa Sports Betting Launches

Those looking to beat the rush for the upcoming launch of Iowa sports betting might be able to sign up early for mobile accounts.

Brian Ohorilko, administrator of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC), tells Legal Sports Report that casinos with approved account registration controls could start taking sign-ups early next week. The first such approval was issued Wednesday.

People who register for an Iowa sports betting account still wouldn't be able to place their first wager until noon on Aug. 15. Prior to Jan. 1, 2021, the IA sports betting law requires that online bettors establish their accounts in-person.

Mobile bets on Iowa sports betting launch day?

Five casinos are close to the finish line for taking online bets, according to Ohorilko.

He expects Catfish Bend Casino, partnered with PointsBet, and the four William Hill-affiliated properties — Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, Lakeside Hotel Casino and the two Isle Casino Hotel properties — to take mobile action on day one.

He cautions that each is still waiting for certification letters on technology from independent testing labs before it receives mobile authorization.

He foresees between six and nine casinos accepting in-person wagers on launch day, including those five. Eighteen of 19 casinos in Iowa obtained sports betting licenses.

How some Iowa sportsbooks will be ready first

Ohorilko indicated that IRGC began issuing controls in three phases before draft regulations had been approved to facilitate an Iowa sports betting launch before the Aug. 24 start of college football.

The casinos that were ready to take each phase as it came grabbed the advantage.

“The operators sitting in a real good place right now essentially completed those as they came out,” Ohorilko said.

For the retail sportsbooks that aren't ready on the first day, he expects most of them to be up and running by the start of college football.

“Talking to operators, if there’s any delay in retail operations we’re talking about just a few weeks,” Ohorilko said. “But with respect to mobile, that range is varied to from being ready right away to some companies not launching until 2020.”

The post How Mobile Could Start Early Before Iowa Sports Betting Launches appeared first on Legal Sports Report.

Original source: https://www.legalsportsreport.com/35102/iowa-sports-betting-mobile-account/

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