Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City expects to add sports betting by August

Casinos throughout Iowa are in planning mode as the first official steps in making sports betting in Iowa a reality, are moving forward. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City is getting ready to add sports gambling to its offerings and it could come online as soon as July, or around August 1.

"We could be very well ready to go by, theoretically by the end of July, beginning of August, when they give us the green light to go. In theory, it could be in a temporary location while we do establish a more permeant residence, but absolutely, we fully intend to be fully operational when we're given the green light," said Director of Marketing and Hotel Operations Mike Adams, according to Siouxland News.

The casino will work with a third party to offer sports gambling in Sioux City. In the long term, Hard Rock is working with an architect to design a permanent home for a sportsbook inside the casino.

“We’re looking at a number of options right now and we’re working with architectural firms to determine where the best fit and finish is is going to be on the property,” Adams explained. “I don’t necessarily think there’s going to be an expansion but more so probably some different areas that are moved around to accommodate the sports book.”

Sports gambling could be a legal activity before the end of Summer in Northwest Iowa. Last Monday, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law allowing sports betting to become legal in the state. It green-lights betting on professional, collegiate and international sporting events, along with legalizing fantasy sports contests and internet fantasy sports betting.

Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort is another company hoping to start offering sports betting at their facility beginning in August after the gaming association develops rules. “We are very anxious to get things moving so that we an officially have a sports book here,” Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort General Manager Sharon Haselhoff said, as reported by KSFY Television.

“We will be submitting some plans to the Racing and Gaming Commission at the next commission meeting and then we will probably be doing some construction here on our gaming floor to kind of fine tune our location of our sportsbook,” Haselhoff said. Sports betting will be for those who are over the age of 21.