The Iowa Gaming Association (IGA) says it will embrace efforts to bring legal online casino gambling to the state. The Ameristar Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa, is seen across the Missouri River from downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Online casino games could be an item of discussion in Iowa during the 2022 legislation session. (Image: IGA President Wes Ehrecke recently told Axios that some members in the gaming industry trade group are supportive of legalizing iGaming in Iowa. Currently, only five states — New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Delaware, and West Virginia — have slot machines, table games, and poker rooms operating legally online.
The IGA is comprised of 19 commercial casino property members. The nonprofit supports the state’s gaming industry and promotes legislative efforts that are in its best interests. iGaming Big Business
The Iowa General Assembly is set to commence its 2022 legislative session on January 10. Lawmaking is scheduled to run in the Des Moines capital through April.
Ehrecke says he isn’t sure whether iGaming will be brought up during the 2022 session. But the IGA boss believes interactive gaming has plenty of positive components that warrant consideration.
Legal internet gambling was a lifeline for brick-and-mortar casinos operating in iGaming states during the COVID-19 pandemic. In New Jersey, the largest iGaming market in the US, land-based gross gaming revenue tumbled 44 percent in 2020. But internet gaming win more than doubled.
New Jersey iGaming platforms generated online gaming revenue last year of more than $970 million. The state received approximately $145.7 million in associated iGaming taxes. Iowa might expect to receive about one-third of that tax haul upon full iGaming market maturation, as the state’s population is roughly one-third the size of New Jersey’s.
Brick-and-mortar casinos, however, make less income on iGaming than they do on retail play. And that’s why one Iowa casino isn’t in favor of bringing internet slots and table games to the state.
Prairie Meadows, the Polk County-owned horse racetrack and casino located in Altoona, has come out in opposition to iGaming.
We hope to stop it,” Polk County Chair Angela Connolly said of the concerns that online gambling would […]
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