Sports gambling starts Thursday in state of Iowa

NORTHWOOD — Sports gambling begins Thursday at noon at 18 of the 19 state-licensed casinos in Iowa. One unique piece of Iowa’s law deals with smartphone apps that will allow you to place bets through those casinos, but Diamond Jo Worth general manager Scott Smith says the user cannot use those apps outside of the state’s borders.

He says, “If someone utilizes the app, it will work up to the border itself, but once you cross the state line, the geofencing that takes place, that technology, and there’s a lot of smart people out there that work that kind of stuff, it will no longer work once you cross it the state line. Anytime you’re inside that the state border the app works.”

The Diamond Jo Worth casino is four miles south of the Iowa-Minnesota border and attracts many gamblers from the Gopher state. Smith has this advice for those living in southern Minnesota who may be deterred from sports gambling because of not being able to use a sports betting app.  “The good thing for everyone is that we are the first exit over the state line, so come visit us anyway right? See the staff and enjoy everything else that we have going on here at the at the Diamond Jo.”

Smith says the Diamond Jo and their parent company Boyd Gaming has partnered with the nationally-known company FanDuel for their sports betting operation. The casino’s new sports wagering lounge is located between the Big Wheel Bar and the main cage.