Iowa sports betting handle saw a new record in December for a fourth straight month, hitting the $100 million mark for the first time.
New data released late last week by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission shows state casinos and sportsbooks handled more than $104.8 million worth of sports wagers in December, up over 20% from the old monthly high mark of $87.17 million in November, as reported by Iowa's News Now. Bettors in Iowa won more than $97 million on those wagers, with casinos and sportsbook making about $7.5 million from them.
Through the first six months of the fiscal year, bettors in Iowa have wagered nearly $419.5 million on sports. More than 70% of that money has been bet online. Casinos and sportsbooks have made more than $35 million from betting since the start of the fiscal year in July 2020.
January is expected to be another record-breaking month for sports betting in the state, with the NFL postseason and college football bowl games driving the action. The NBA, NHL, and European soccer seasons are also popular. In addition, betting in the state is now as accessible as ever —as of January 1, in-person registration at casinos is no longer required for players to use online sportsbooks.