When the mood hits for winning a load of money and driving to the nearest casino is not an option, there are plenty of other legal venues for satiating the hunger of free cash. Online gambling is nothing new and stands as a viable choice for any Iowa resident looking to win big at any hour of the day or night. While there are federal and state laws to consider before hopping on the first site promising a payout, the simple act of placing a bet is legal and there are plenty of legal gambling sites for Iowa residents where one may do so. This page is for all those in the Hawkeye State who wish to brush up on the legality of how to gamble online for real money.
The federal policy in place for visiting an online casino is clear and to the point. Laws such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) prevent any U.S. based gambling site from accepting or issuing any payments over the internet. Federal law does plenty to put a stop to the business of gambling or facilitating bets for profit but nothing within them prevents the participation of such venues. This means that anyone can play a game of online Blackjack if the site in question is not bound to federal regulation. Any online casino that is located outside of the country is legal to use.
While federal laws are all encompassing, there is still much room available for each state to enact its own online gambling regulations to follow up with the national policy. Iowa is one such state that has not bothered to provide any extra legislation when it comes to gambling over the internet, which means that Hawkeye State locals are able to simple follow the federal rule of thumb by only visiting online casinos that are located outside of the United States.
Between the state and federal laws, the business of gambling and facilitating bets for profit are strictly illegal but average citizens are still able to place a bet. With such a large loophole in the fact that any resident can visit and wager at legal online casinos that accept Iowa residents located elsewhere, there is no legal repercussions for winning and receiving cash from such sites.
There are a few more laws that influence sports betting all across the United States with legislation such as the Federal Wire Act and the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in place. These laws again outlaw the business of gambling and the facilitation of bets for profit within U.S. territories but do not target the actual act of placing a bet. Although they have successfully removed any sports betting facility in the country outside of places such as Las Vegas, there are still a few legal loopholes for residents to utilize. For instance, as with online casinos and poker rooms, any site that is operating outside of the United States is legal to visit and wager on.
For folks in Iowa, they have little to contend with any local laws referring to sports betting, as the federal acts would overpower any regulations passed. There is nothing that outlines what people may or may not do in the realm of sports betting other than they are not able to operate their own sportsbook. Since this is the same rule already in place by the federal government, locals in the Hawkeye State are able to follow the same principal of legality by only visiting online sportsbooks located elsewhere.
As the simple act of placing a bet is legal and any Iowa sports betting site that is not bound to federal law is legal, there is a wide variety of options available to Iowa residents despite the lack of brick and mortar sportsbooks in land based settings throughout the country.
As is the case with online casinos, federal laws such as the UIGEA affect online poker. With no online poker room within the United States able to accept or issue payments over the internet, there are no legal venues to place a bet domestically. The act of placing a bet however, remains legal under federal law and one must only visit an online poker network that is located outside of U.S. jurisdiction to do so.
The State of Iowa has formulated its own set of gambling laws to follow up on the federal policies already in place. They take the same view and measures as the national acts as the business of gambling or facilitating bets for profit in Iowa is a serious crime. Common poker players are not the targets of local regulations however, as it is still legal for any Iowa resident to play a game of Omaha or Texas Hold ‘Em for real money. With zero mention of the internet in the state’s constitution, players may simply follow the rules set up by the federal government in that any online poker room that is not located within U.S. territory is in legal operation.
Since it is legal to place a bet in legal online poker rooms for Iowa residents and foreign networks are within legal bounds of operation, it is legal for any Hawkeye State resident to frequent online poker networks located all across the world without fear of breaking any laws. Many of these sites are well aware of their legal statuses with American players and even tailor their sites just for the use of residents throughout the country.
With such a simple parameter to meet in order to be legal, there are a vast number of sites allowing legal gambling in Iowa sprinkled across the internet. While there being legal is the most important factor, bettors in Iowa will want to be sure to visit sites that are secure, private and have a long history of paying out their users. We are happy to share report quite a few online gambling sites that bear all of these traits and are safe for any Hawkeye State resident to use.
At the forefront of the online gambling industry stands Bovada.lv. Having been in business for decades, this online gambling site began as the American company ‘Bodog’ only having to move to neighboring Canada after reinterpretations to our federal laws. They continue serving the American public through every form of gambling from their new home in Montreal, Quebec, with the utmost is customer support, security and privacy.
This online gambling site has multiple sections to its network to encompass casino games, horse racing, poker and the much sought after sportsbook. With betting types for a wide variety of users, one can play a casual game of Blackjack for mere nickels or wager hundreds on a prediction of next year’s Super Bowl. Members at Bovada are able to get into the action of massive Texas Hold ‘Em Tournaments that often garner hundreds of thousands of dollars each week as well as keep an eye on over eighty horse tracks every day. With the signup incentives rampant through every corner of the site, new members are able to receive deposit bonuses that will ramp up any bankroll for serious betting power no matter the preferred method of wagering.