DraftKings Leads As Iowa Sports Betting Handle Rises 18.2% Year-on-Year in August

The summer slowdown is still rolling on for most of our best sports betting sites in August, but its not all doom and gloom.

August was a strong month for the Iowa sports betting market, with both online and retail sportsbooks posting handle and revenue gains compared month-on-month and year-on-year.

According to the latest figures from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC), sports betting handle reached nearly $167.0 million in August, the second month of the 2025 Fiscal Year.

Finer details

The figure marks an 18.2% increase from last August when Iowa bettors wagered $141.3 million at the state’s best sportsbooks. The state also saw its first month-on-month rise in handle since March, up 20.9% from $138.1 million in July 2024. With the 2024-25 NFL season kicking off last week, a similar rise should be on the cards for September.

Iowa sports betting apps and online sportsbooks dominated the market, accounting for 93.5% of the total handle, or $156.1 million. This marks an 18.3% increase compared to last August when $131.9 million was wagered through digital platforms. Retail sportsbooks also posted solid growth, generating $10.9 million in handle, up 16.0% from $9.4 million last year.

Compared to July, online sports betting handle rose by 19.5% from $130.6 million, while retail wagers jumped by 44.8%, up from $7.5 million.

Iowa’s sportsbooks paid approximately $151.2 million in winnings, leaving nearly $15.8 million in sports betting revenue, a 16.6% increase from the $13.5 million earned last August. Online operators contributed approximately $13.0 million to this total as residents took advantage of Iowa sportsbook promos; retail sportsbooks generated $2.7 million.

Top performers

Of the eighteen online sportsbooks operating in the state, DraftKings—reporting as Crown IA Gaming, LLC—led the market with $64.3 million in handle. FanDuel took second place, with $36.9 million, followed by Caesars Sportsbook, reporting a $16.6 million handle.

BetMGM came in fourth with $13.5 million and bet365 rounded out the top five, reporting a handle of $8.1 million.

This group has maintained its top positions both month-on-month and year-on-year. However, there was a minor shift compared to the FY 2024 rankings, where ESPN Bet (operating as Penn Sports Interactive, LLC) held the fifth spot instead of bet365.

Casino figures also up

Iowa’s casino industry also showed positive results in August. The IRGC’s latest report revealed that the state’s nineteen commercial casinos generated $144.2 million in adjusted gross revenue (AGR), a 0.7% increase from the $143.2 million posted in August 2023.

Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino led the market with $19.8 million in AGR, followed by Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs, which contributed $15.4 million, and Ameristar II, which contributed $14.7 million. 

While Iowa's casino market continues to perform steadily, the state's two-year moratorium on new casino licenses, following legislation signed by Governor Kim Reynolds in 2022, remains in place until at least 2025.

The state has yet to legalize real-money online casinos, which are legal in seven states; residents are able to play certain sweepstakes casinos. In early 2023, thirteen of the state’s commercial casinos supported iGaming.