Iowa Sweepstakes Casinos

Although online real money casinos remain illegal, Iowa gamers can play slot machines and cards in local land-based casinos or chase fun at free-to-play sweepstakes casinos from the comfort of their homes.

If you’re new to sweepstakes gaming or simply want to know which sites have the best offers for Iowan players, this guide covers everything you need to know.

Iowa Gambling Laws: Online Casino Legal Updates

Retail casinos have been legal in Iowa since 1991. I wouldn’t use the term “land-based casinos” because some of the first casinos in the Hawkeye State were riverboat casinos.

The push to legalize online casinos has been active since 2012, but real-money casino sites remain illegal to this day. Over a decade later, State Representative Bobby Kaufmann proposed several bills to attempt to legalize online casinos that cover more than just online poker rooms, but with little success.

Kaufmann’s Bill HSB227 didn’t pass in 2023, and he recently revealed that he doesn’t plan on introducing new bills in 2025. This makes sweepstakes casinos and retail gambling the only legal choices for fans of slots and casino-style gaming in Iowa.

How You Can Play Slots and Casino Games in Iowa

Since online casinos aren’t legal in Iowa yet, many players turn to offshore casino sites. This is a bad move on all fronts due to the following reasons:

• The Iowa Code, Chapter 725, classifies online gambling as misdemeanors for wagers under $500, and felonies if you gamble over $500. Although the charges are mainly designed as deterrents, the law says you can face jail time and severe fines, ranging from $315 to $10,000.
• Offshore casinos do not abide by US laws. They’re considered illegal, and even when licensed, they’re regulated by entities with no legal authority or enforcement power within the United States.

Social casinos are perfectly legal because they lack real money wagers. They use Gold Coins exclusively, meaning you can play online slots for free, but you can’t claim cash prizes or convert your coins into anything of monetary value. Apps like Gambino Slots and Hard Rock are a fun way to play slots for free in Iowa.

Sweepstakes casinos fill the gap of real money action. They are legal as long as real purchases aren’t mandatory. Free Sweeps Coins are offered to users, typically via sign-up bonuses, mail-in promotions, and similar deals, which can in turn result in cash prizes.

Overview Of The Best Sweepstakes Casinos in Iowa

We at SweepsKings don’t believe a universally and objectively “best” sweepstakes casino exists. However, we scoured the market and found the best places for diehard slot fans, bonus hunters, mobile gamers, and anyone looking for a unique sweepstakes gaming experience.

Below is a short list of our top 5 recommendations for Iowa gamers:

Jackpota – Boasts a massive local jackpot network

High 5 – Diamonds can be earned for free and used to obtain free spins

The Money Factory – 425% welcome package

Spree – Sweeps Coins redemptions start at 75 SC

WOW Vegas – One of the largest libraries in the block, packed with 1,800+ games

Jackpota is the ultimate spot for fans of jackpot games, with an impressive collection of Pragmatic Play jackpot slots like Gates of Olympus, Sweet Bonanza, The Dog House, and Starlight Princess.

Newcomers are greeted with a 7,500 GC + 2.5 SC no deposit bonus and can claim up to 2 SC daily by just showing up. Although the payment method availability is limited to cards and online bank transfers, there are plenty of GC packs to choose from, ranging from $1.99 to $299.99.

High 5 Casino has a native mobile app, offers six different payment methods, and boasts a portfolio of 1,750+ games, many of which are made by their in-house team.

What sets H5C apart from the rest is the Diamonds currency, which you can grab for free every four hours and by climbing the Leaderboards. Diamonds allow you to purchase free spins or trigger special in-game features of High 5 originals.

As another top-notch Iowa sweepstakes casino, The Money Factory has over a thousand games. It covers cards, mobile wallets, and e-wallets, offers an impressive 15,000 GC + 3 SC no deposit bonus, and has a sleek UI that even first-timers won’t have issues using.

The standout feature of The Money Factory is a massive 425% bonus on the first three (instead of just the first) GC bundle purchases. The deal includes 32,000 GC + 32 SC for $7.49; 40,000 GC + 40 SC for $19.99; and 50,000 GC + 50 SC for $39.99!

A million Gold Coins and 2.5 Sweeps Coins after registration, easy payments with Apple Pay or cards, a massive library of slots plus live dealers, and multiple discounted bundles make Spree an excellent all-rounder.

What stood out the most to us is that minimum daily redemptions start as low as 75 SC instead of the usual 100 Sweeps Coins.

WOW Vegas is a long-standing sweepstakes casino known for offering over 1,800 games from 30+ renowned software providers. It’s as close to a real money online casino, minus the mandatory purchases.

The site is packed with rotating promotions for regular players and has an attractive no deposit bonus of 250,000 WOW Coins + 5 Sweeps Coins.

Why Our Experts Selected These Brands

Our team at SweepsKings tested and reviewed over 80 sweepstakes casinos that legally operate in Iowa. We handpicked the ones with the most diverse gaming catalogs, flexible payment options, large sign-up deals, and a lineup of attractive promos for regulars.

You can read more about how we test and review legitimate sweepstakes casinos on our Review Process Criteria page. If you’d like a short version of things we focused on while searching for the best Iowa sweepstakes casinos, here’s the breakdown:

The size of the signup bonus, first-purchase deals, AMOE, and unique offers

The number of slots, tables, and live dealers, as well as the diversity of software providers powering the site

Payment methods, limits, and payout speeds

The synergy of customer support channels, including live chat, email support response time, social media assistance, and FAQs

Website design, mobile optimization, and native apps

The sites we picked all excel in these fields. Furthermore, they earned bonus points for transparent T&Cs, being legal in many other US states apart from just Iowa, and having at least one standout feature. High 5, for example, has its Diamond boosters, while Spree has its unique SpreePotz jackpot network.

Bonuses and Promotions at Iowa Online Casinos

Bonuses at Iowa sweeps casinos come in all shapes and sizes. Some sites have modest sign-up offers and compensate with various regular promotions like VIP rewards, progressive daily login bonuses, referral programs, and weekly purchase boosts, while others focus on giving you the most value with the no deposit welcome bonus.

We recommend casinos with the largest sign-up deals, such as WOW Vegas, Stake.us, and Spree, to inexperienced players. You’ll get plenty of free coins to test various games, practice different strategies, and have fun without worrying about your balance.

Other types of Iowa casino promotions include snail mail bonuses (Alternative Method of Entry), social media contests, Spin the Wheel, and reload-type discounts on select GC bundles.

There are virtually no major downsides to signing up with Iowa sweepstakes casinos. They’re not outright prohibited by law; the use of real money is completely optional, and the stiff competition ensures all platforms do their best in terms of customer service.

However, sweepstakes casinos can’t really compete with real money online casinos, so if the legal gambling landscape changes in Iowa, you might want to switch gears.

The upsides are many, from playing your favorite slots for free to the potential of claiming cash prizes without risking a dime, and everything in between.