This bill addresses the licensing and regulation of gambling games in Iowa, instituting a moratorium on the issuance of new licenses from January 1, 2025, to June 30, 2030, limiting the total number of licenses to 19 during this period. It mandates the state racing and gaming commission to conduct a comprehensive socioeconomic study every eight years, starting in 2013, with specific topics outlined for examination, including the financial and societal impacts of gambling, problem gambling treatment programs, and the effects of new licenses on existing operations. Notably, the commission is prohibited from issuing new licenses after July 1, 2030, until the report for the 2029 study is completed.

Additionally, the bill restricts new gambling licenses to counties where gambling was already operational as of January 1, 2025, and allows for certain license transfers within counties. It also includes provisions to protect existing licensees from negative impacts due to new licenses, such as limiting the issuance of new licenses that would decrease existing licensees' adjusted gross receipts by more than 10%. The commission is tasked with reviewing internet gaming's impact on the state's gaming industry and must report its findings and recommendations to the general assembly by January 1, 2026. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment and is retroactively applicable to January 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 99F.4, 99F.6