Licensing Jurisdiction
All state gambling commissions, including the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, have the capacity to act within their state lines. Any operations occurring outside of the state’s borders fall outside of the commission’s jurisdiction. This means that it is very likely to come across online casinos that operate from abroad and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the commission and even the federal government. It is the government’s responsibility however to block access to such sites, yet this is something that is rarely seen.
Iowa residents are therefore still able to access sites that operate on other gambling licenses that are perfectly legitimate but do not give them the authorization to provide their services in regions like Iowa. Such sites may very well be trustworthy and legitimate, but playing on them means doing so outside of the protections of the commission and local government.
The Main Focus of The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission
Iowa is in the same situation as many of its contemporaries since the change in federal law back in 2018 when the Amateur Sports Act was finally abolished. This allowed individual state governments to create their own sports betting regulations, which could be applied in retail outlets, as well as online platforms. This was a historic moment for the industry in the US, which was previously so restrictive in what activities were allowed to play and where.
In the past few years, there has been a huge surge across most of the country with new betting shops and websites opening up and expanding into previously restricted markets. While this has been a godsend for sports betting fans, online casino players still have to wait it seems. It is hoped that once the dust settles for sports betting that online casino games will get their moment in the sun as well.
Security at Online Casinos Licensed by The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission offers a solid self-exclusion program that somebody experiencing gambling-related issues can enroll in in-person or via email. The gambling authority’s website also does an excellent job of citing various codes with links to specific laws that means all of the information is accessible to anybody, should you for example be in doubt of an operator’s procedures. Another interesting way in which the commission secures itself is through certain conditions that are applied to board members to protect the integrity of the organization. Board members can serve no longer than three years and only a maximum of three members can have the same political party affiliations.
