William Hill last week launched an enhanced version of its William Hill Sports Book App and desktop operation in Iowa in line with the expiration of an in-person registration requirement in the state that finally enabled Iowans to open wagering accounts online.
The sports betting operator announced late last week that its improved and upgraded app can be downloaded and its customers can open new accounts using it from anywhere around the state. They can also sign up via William Hill’s companion desktop version.
The bookmaker’s digital product is designed to facilitate sports fans in finding their favorite markets and making and tracking their bets seamlessly and quickly.
Iowa Poised for Sports Betting Boom as In-Person Registration Is No Longer Required
William Hill’s betting app was built on the company’s proprietary platform and offers Iowa sports bettors access to a wide array of markets and bet types, including the hugely popular in-play betting. As digital registration is now allowed, the app provides bettors with the opportunity to quickly and securely open accounts and deposit and withdraw funds via different approved payment methods, including debit cards, online banking, and PayPal, among others.
Including Iowa, William Hill now offers mobile sports betting in eight US states where the activity is legal, with Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. being the other seven.
Iowa Expansion
Legal sports betting first went live in Iowa in August 2019 and William Hill was the first locally licensed operator to launch a digital sportsbook. Through its exclusive partnership with Caesars Entertainment Inc. as well as through partnership with other operators running land-based casinos around Iowa, William Hill operates sportsbooks at six gambling venues in the state.
Most recently, the company opened retail betting facilities at Caesars’ Horseshoe and Harrah’s properties in Council Bluffs.
When sports betting became legal in Iowa a year and a half ago, the fact that bettors had to open accounts at physical gambling facilities in order to be able to wager online was strongly opposed by the sector. Critics of the measure argued that it would muffle participation and hurt betting revenues.
Now as the requirement has been lifted, industry analysts believe the state’s betting market will see a significant surge. During the first full fiscal year of legal betting in Iowa, the state’s sportsbooks handled $368 million in bets and generated $25 million in revenue. The state surpassed last year’s totals during the first five months of the current fiscal year, with figures showing that the local sportsbooks, both digital and retail, netted more than $27 million in revenue.
The bulk of that came from online betting as state bettors were urged to avoid physical gambling venues. Analysts believe that digitally placed bets could account for as much as 90% of the state’s market as bettors can open accounts remotely.
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