Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Altoona, Iowa has shut down its sports betting kiosks while its wagering partner William Hill figures out why they powered up in the middle of the night, even though they were supposed to have been turned off by staff.
The incident happened recently, according to reports from local media outlets. Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission Administrator Brian Ohorilko said that surveillance footage showed no one at the kiosks when they came on in the middle of the night.
William Hill, the operator that powers the casino and racetrack’s sports betting operation, chose to keep the devices off until it can resolve the technical glitch.
Prairie Meadows customers can still place wagers on their favorite sports at the gambling venue’s betting windows and via a mobile betting app. However, the casino’s self-service betting kiosks will remain turned off for now.
Iowa became the 11th US state to launch regulated sports betting after a landmark US Supreme Court ruling issued in May 2018 annulled a long-standing ban on athletic gambling on the territory of the nation. Sports betting went live in the state on August 14.
Currently, 13 of Iowa’s 19 casinos are taking bets. Plans are for the state’s all gambling venues to go live with sports betting in the near future.
Prairie Meadows Handles $3.4 Million in Sports Wagers in First Month of Legal Sports Betting
According to figures released by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, the state’s sportsbooks handled more than $8.5 million in bets during the first month of legal sports betting. Iowa eventually scooped nearly $150,000 in tax revenue from wagering on sporting events.
As mentioned earlier, sports betting went live in the state in mid-August, right ahead of the start of the new college and professional football seasons. Iowa was among the states to legalize mobile betting in addition to wagering at physical facilities at casinos and racetracks.
However, digital sports gambling is yet to make a big impact on wagering revenues as it did in New Jersey, where digital bets account for more than 80% of all wagers placed. Iowa currently has just a handful of mobile apps, but that is about to change soon with the anticipated arrival of FanDuel and DraftKings.
Prairie Meadows, with its William Hill-powered sports betting operation, took in $3.4 million in bets in the first month of legal sports betting, reporting the highest handle of Iowa’s 13 casinos that are currently taking wagers.
Prairie Meadows and William Hill teamed up early this year. Under the terms of their deal, the British bookmaker became the exclusive sports betting partner of the casino and racetrack. In the months after the announcement about their partnership surfaced, the two companies developed jointly an 8,600-square-foot sports betting facility on Prairie Meadows Casino’s fourth level.
Aside from sports betting, Prairie Meadows also operates 1,700 slot machines, a number of table games, live and simulcast racing, a hotel, and a number of entertainment facilities.
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