Sports betting bill off and running

DES MOINES – Legalized sports betting in Iowa bolted out of the gate early Wednesday, but it remains to be seen if support is strong enough to reach Gov. Chet Culver's desk.

The Senate State Government Committee voted 10-5 to approve legislation that would authorize state gaming regulators authority to allow wagering on professional sports at Iowa's state-licensed racetracks and riverboat casinos if a federal prohibition is lifted.

“It's already legal in many foreign countries and there are billions of dollars being bet on professional sports around the world, and I'm just saying why not Iowa,” said Senate President Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, who sponsored the legislation.

“We've heard about sports betting since I was a pup,” he added. “I don't know of any bookies, I don't have any phone numbers or anything, but we know sports betting goes on.”

The federal professional and amateur sports protection act of 1992 made sports betting illegal in all but four U.S. states that were covered by a court-imposed “grandfather” clause. However, Kibbie says current restrictions are being challenged in court and there are efforts under way to convince Congress to change the law.

Should federal law be changed, Kibbie wants Iowa to be in a position to allow sports betting at existing casinos and collect potentially tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue from legal wagering on professional sports. Language was removed Wednesday that would have allowed wagering on amateur or college sports as well.

Wes Ehrecke of the Iowa Gaming Association, which represents the 14 state-licensed riverboats and three racetrack casinos in Iowa, said his association is neutral on Senate File 2129 but some member casinos would be interested if offering sports betting if the federal roadblock was lifted.

The idea had its detractors, however.

“I don't want to expand sports betting in any way,” said Sen. Jack Hatch, D-Des Moines, who joined Republican Sens. Jerry Behn of Boone, Randy Feenstra of Hull, David Hartsuch of Bettendorf and James Seymour of Woodbine in opposing the bill in committee. “Even though it regulates it more, I don't want to expand any kind of sports betting.”

Hartsuch worried further expansion of gambling would siphon money from productive purposes, export money out of state and hurt economic development in Iowa.

 “My personal belief is we've got ample gambling in this state and I am just opposed to expanding gambling, particularly when we have the economic times that we have,” Seymour added. “I don't know that we need to offer folks that are struggling right now another avenue to spend their money.”

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said he was willing to consider the proposed legislation if details were worked out and there were a minimum of 26 votes to gain Senate passage.

“I don't take things up just for the purpose of taking things up. We'll have to do some vote counting,” he said.

Gronstal said Iowa elected officials have allowed an array of gambling opportunities, but they also have limited the state-licensed activities to a fairly restrictive number of venues.

Earlier this week, Culver expressed skepticism about the issue's prospects, saying “it has not been on the top of my list nor has it been the topic of much discussion with any leaders or legislators.”