Iowa’s gaming regulator fined FanDuel Sportsbook $95,000 for two counts of accepting wagers on unapproved sports events, according to Radio Iowa.
Key Takeaways
- FanDuel violated Iowa regulations by offering wagers on yellow and red cards during soccer matches.
- Iowa has strict rules on what sports and events are approved.
- FanDuel was also fined in Massachusetts and Ontario this year for betting violations.
Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission administrator Tina Eick said one of FanDuel’s violations stemmed from offering unapproved bets on soccer games.
“You can’t wager on decisions made by an umpire or referee in the state, and so one of their counts involved a case where they offered wagers on yellow and red cards and soccer,” she said.
FanDuel’s second offense was tied to an overseas basketball league. Despite the state’s catalog of approved leagues and markets, FanDuel allowed wagers on a match that was not authorized.
“And then another count involved offering a league that was not authorized; in this particular case, it happened to be Filipino basketball,” Eick said.
This was not the first time that FanDuel violated Iowa’s operational guidelines by offering unapproved betting markets. Eick noted the Commission wanted to send a “strong message” with its fine.
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More on fines
Iowa has strict gaming laws. It does not allow player prop bets on college sports happening in or involving in-state schools and universities, and it requires all prop bets or novel wagers to be cleared by the commission.
Betting on minor-league games is also prohibited. Fans of the Iowa Cubs (the Chicago Cubs' Triple-A affiliate), the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Minnesota Twins' High-A affiliate) and the Quad Cities River Bandits (Kansas City Royals' High-A affiliate) won’t find approved betting odds anywhere inside state lines.
Eick also said Iowa does not permit bets that can be settled by one player in a single play, such as if the first pitch of a baseball game is a ball or a strike.
“Those just are integrity issues and have the potential for manipulation, and so we steer clear of those,” she said. But beyond those things, involving referees and the calls that they make are also off limits.”
Despite the market restrictions, Iowa’s sports betting industry experienced strong growth during the fiscal year that ended in June. Sportsbook revenue jumped nearly 15% year over year to $285 million, generating $331 million in combined casino and sports betting tax contributions.
The upcoming fiscal year period will still include figures driven by the World Cup in July, along with the upcoming lucrative NFL and college football seasons.
“Football is king for sports wagering,” Eick said. “That drives the numbers year in and year out. Lots of interest with March Madness as well. But again, football is king.”
Accumulating fines
FanDuel has been fined by multiple regulators over the past year.
Iowa ($125,000) and Massachusetts ($15,000) regulators previously penalized the company for allowing unapproved bets. The majority of the thousands of illegal wagers were related to golf events, including the LPGA.
The company was also given a CA$350,000 reprimand in Ontario for accepting more than 140 bets on a Czech table tennis tournament that was flagged for match-fixing. The fine was issued in January 2026 for wagers placed between October and November 2024.
