Iowa bettors look to have enjoyed a second straight Final Four run by Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes as sports betting handle in March jumped 17.1% to $272.4 million according to figures released by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.
In terms of dollars, handle was nearly $40 million higher as Clark — a generational talent of both women’s and college basketball — captivated the nation with her scoring prowess in rewriting the NCAA college record books. Handle was also 68.7% higher than the $161.4 million worth of wagers placed in March 2021, which was Clark’s first NCAA Women’s Tournament and the first year Hawkeye State bettors could legally wager on "March Madness” since the 2020 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was the sixth-highest handle in 56 months of wagering in Iowa and the fifth above $250 million in the last six months. Though the IRGC does not disclose handle and revenue by sport, Iowa’s three wins during the NCAA Tournament in March — the Hawkeyes beat 2023 champion LSU in the regional final April 1 — likely contributed to the 6.7% statewide hold.
Iowa bettors are not allowed to place player prop bets on college games involving in-state schools.
Revenue was down 8.4% compared to last year as the hold was nearly two full percentage points lower than March 2023. The state collected $1.2 million in taxes for the month, lifting the total for the first quarter of 2024 to $3.6 million.
You know it’s a good month for bettors when…
The win rate from wagers placed via sports betting apps was 6.6% as Iowa’s 19 mobile sportsbooks generated $252 million handle for March. DraftKings and FanDuel were 1-2 as expected, but FanDuel’s 7.6% hold marked the first time the digital juggernaut had back-to-back months with a sub-10% win rate since June and July in 2022.
FanDuel did reach a pair of milestones in the Hawkeye State, surpassing $1.5 billion handle with $67.7 million worth of bets in March, and also cleared $125 million in all-time revenue after collecting $5.1 million in winnings. DraftKings, meanwhile, narrowly missed its second month with $100 million handle, coming up $1.2 million short with its second-best month of action behind last November. It had a 6.7% hold to claim $6.7 million in revenue and pace all mobile books.
