Iowa Clarifies Sports Betting Rules Ahead of 2024 Olympics

Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission updates wagers bettors can legally place with online and retail sportsbooks as well as the current betting rules and policies.

Ziv Chen - News Editor at Covers.com
Ziv Chen • News Editor
Jun 15, 2024 • 06:06 ET • 4 min read
Olympics
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

As the Paris 2024 Olympics approach, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) has released an update of approved sports wagers, clarifying betting rules to the public. The document outlines what wagers bettors can legally place with online and retail Iowa sportsbooks as well as the current betting rules and policies. 

One fundamental rule highlighted in the IRGC’s update is that bets on a country’s total medal count are prohibited. For example, Iowa players can’t place a futures bet on which country will win the most gold medals. Equally, total markets on how many gold medals a country will win are prohibited. This extends to medal counts in particular disciplines, so there will be no betting lines on how many medals a nation will win in swimming or gymnastics, for instance.

Another rule highlighted was that betting on athletes under the age of 18 in individual events is prohibited. Any individual event featuring anyone under 18 will not appear on Iowa sportsbooks. Wagering on finals events where an 18-year-old previously appeared in the heats or qualifiers is also prohibited, even if that 18-year-old does not make it to the final. 

However, this rule doesn’t extend to team events, including partner events like doubles tennis. So, if one athlete on a team is under 18, Iowa sportsbooks can still offer markets for that event. Prop wagers will not be available for any contest featuring a younger athlete, including wagers on other athletes.

The update follows a slight increase in the hold that Iowa sports betting generated in May.

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Ziv Chen
News Editor

Ziv has been deep in the iGaming trenches for over 20 years, long before most people could spell "geolocation compliance." With a background in marketing and business development at some of the biggest names in gambling tech, Ziv knows the industry from the inside out. Since joining Covers, he's turned his sharp eye (and sharper keyboard) toward everything happening in the fast-moving world of online gambling. Whether it's new state launches, the latest twists in regulation, or what the big operators and game providers are cooking up next, Ziv breaks it all down with clarity, context, and just the right amount of snark. He covers the business side of betting, from affiliate trends and revenue reports to the tech powering your favorite slots. His motto in writing is “let’s make it make sense without putting you to sleep.”

When he’s not tracking gambling legislation or looking for the next breaking story, Ziv is living and dying with every pitch and play from his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins. As a Pitt graduate, it’s a city loyalty forged in heartbreak, but one he wouldn’t trade for anything, except maybe a few more playoff wins.

When away from the keyboard, Ziv loves to hit the road and soak up the energy of casinos. Whether strolling the neon jungle called the Vegas Strip, or wandering into a smoky riverboat casino in the Midwest, Ziv’s in his element. He’s the guy chatting with players, blackjack dealers, and asking pit bosses way too many questions, all in the name of “research,” of course. The casino floor isn’t just his workplace, it’s a weird and wonderful ecosystem of flashing lights, wild characters, and pure sensory overload, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

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