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HF 144

A bill for an act concerning the licensing and regulation of gambling games, including a moratorium on the issuance of new licenses, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.

2025-2026 Regular Session

Imposes a temporary moratorium on new gambling licenses (Jan 1, 2025–June 30, 2030) or limits to 19 total licenses, with county-based eligibility and protections for existing licen

Subcommittee recommends passage.
#gambling #moratoriums
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Bill Summary · HF 144

Summary — HF 144 (2025): Casino licensing moratorium and gambling regulation

Status: Subcommittee recommends passage. Introduced January 27, 2025; passed the House (Jan 30, 2025); amendments H‑1002 and H‑1004 adopted. Takes effect upon enactment and applies retroactively to January 1, 2025.

Purpose

HF 144 places a temporary statewide moratorium and substantive limits on issuance of new gambling (casino/excursion boat/racetrack) licenses in Iowa, expands and clarifies required studies on gambling (including Internet gaming), and adds several protections intended to limit negative economic impacts on existing licensees and sponsoring organizations.

Key provisions

  • Moratorium on new licenses

    • From January 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030, the total number of licenses to operate gambling games (excursion gambling boats, gambling structures, pari‑mutuel racetrack enclosures) shall not exceed 19.
    • New licenses are restricted to counties that had a licensed facility operating on January 1, 2025.
    • After July 1, 2030, the commission shall not issue any new license until it has issued the socioeconomic study required for calendar year 2029.

  • Exceptions and flexibility

    • A licensee may move an authorized license to a new location within the same county and retain the license.
    • A licensed facility may be sold and a new license issued for operation in the same county.
    • If a license is surrendered, not renewed, or revoked, a new license may be issued for operation in the same county.
    • The commission may issue a license in a county where a facility has closed or its license was suspended, not renewed, or revoked.

  • Economic protections for existing licensees and sponsoring organizations

    • The commission is prohibited from issuing a license if the proposed new license would reduce an existing casino’s adjusted gross receipts by more than 10% or would negatively affect the annual distributions to a qualified sponsoring organization.
    • The commission may not issue a new license for a location that would negatively impact an existing casino located in a county contiguous to Iowa’s border or in a county that qualifies as a rural county.

  • Limit on repeated applications

    • Applicants are prohibited from applying for a license in a county for eight years after the commission denies a license for that county.

  • Studies and reports

    • The state racing and gaming commission (IRGC) must expand the scope of the recurring socioeconomic study (conducted every eight years) to address additional topics: criminal statistics near facilities/potential sites, impact on community services (public safety, fire protection, infrastructure, capital projects), employment effects, and similar items.
    • The IRGC must study Internet gaming’s impact and produce a report with findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by January 1, 2026. The Internet gaming review must cover illegal gambling markets, underage access, payment/security and anti‑money‑laundering issues, problem‑gambling service effectiveness, and recommendations including laws/procedures used in other states.

  • Tourism coordination

    • Operators of excursion gambling boats are required to coordinate with the Iowa Economic Development Authority to encourage tourism from other states.

Fiscal and administrative impacts

  • The IRGC expects to contract external vendors to perform the expanded socioeconomic study (FY 2030) and the Internet gaming impact study (FY 2026); each study is estimated at $200,000 or more. Funding would be from the Gaming Regulatory Revolving Fund.
  • An earlier version of the bill proposed an annual inflation adjustment to initial casino licensing fees (affecting RIIF receipts), but subsequent amendments removed fee‑provision language. The fiscal note prepared for the original bill noted the revenue impact of any fee change could not be estimated because future license issuance is unknown.

Who is affected

  • Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (administration, studies)
  • Existing casino and gambling facility licensees (19 casinos in 15 counties as of Jan 2025)
  • Potential new entrants/developers and counties seeking new licenses
  • Qualified sponsoring organizations that receive distributions from casinos
  • Excursion gambling boat operators and the Iowa Economic Development Authority
  • Local communities (public safety, infrastructure, employment)

Timeline / Effective date

  • Effective upon enactment and retroactive to January 1, 2025.
  • Moratorium: Jan 1, 2025 — June 30, 2030.
  • Internet gaming study report due: January 1, 2026.
  • Commission must wait to resume issuing new licenses after July 1, 2030 until the socioeconomic study for calendar year 2029 has been issued.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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