Iowa Pushing Forward With Law That Would Make Betting Account Sharing a Crime

Iowa lawmakers are determined to make it a Class D felony to share one's betting account with another.

Initially the measure was described as "A bill for an act relating to illegal gaming, and making penalties applicable".

Gambling911.com first reported on the Iowa betting account sharing Class D felony proposal last month.

The bill was considered Wednesday during a legislative hearing at the Iowa Capitol.

What is a Class D Felony?

The exact definition of a Class D felony varies by state and jurisdiction.

In Iowa, a Class D felony is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $7,500. However, the sentence may vary depending on the specific crime and the offender's history.

Some of the more common cases considered to be a Class D felony include such crimes as forgery, stalking, domestic abuse and some DWI cases.

In regard to the proxy betting, the monetary amount would need to be over $500.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety says under current law there is no legal mechanism to charge individuals for sharing their sports betting account or proxy betting.

The department’s legislative proposal, Senate Study Bill 1097, would add the prohibitions on account sharing and proxy betting to the crime of illegal gaming in state law.

“It’s the reality (that) Iowa is at the forefront of sports betting,” Iowa Sen. Dan Dawson, a Republican from Council Bluffs on the subcommittee panel and an Iowa State Trooper, told The Gazette after the hearing. “If things could have been drafted differently, or some of these things could have been foreseen, it would have went in (the original state law that passed in 2019). …

“IRGC (the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, which provides oversight of gaming in the state) did a great job, where they said, ‘Hey, this has to be illegal, so maybe put this in the administrative rule.’ This just codifies that.”