Press Releases
PlayIA.com: Iowa sportsbooks hit $150 million in January

Iowa’s sportsbooks flourished in their first full month without in-person registration, easily surpassing the state record with nearly $150 million in bets. And with many of the biggest sports betting brands, including DraftKings and FanDuel, now gaining a foothold in the Hawkeye State, Iowa is poised for far more growth, according to analysts for PlayIA, which tracks regulated online and retail gaming in the state.
“January was the just first test of an unshackled market, but it didn’t take long to realize just how much Iowa’s sportsbooks have been held back by the state’s in-person registration requirements,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayIA.com. “These will be an exciting next few months in the market, with some of the biggest sports-betting holidays — namely the Super Bowl and March Madness — buoying what should be rapid expansion. This is a whole new era in Iowa sports betting.”
Online and retail sportsbooks combined to take in $149.5 million in wagers, according to official data released Friday. That is up 42.7% from the record $104.8 million handle in December. Those bets increased net receipts to $11.3 million, up 50.5% from $7.5 million in December, which yielded $765,673 in state taxes.
Iowa is the first major U.S. market to report January data, but only seven states drew more in bets in December. Tennessee was seventh with $180.9 million in December wagering.
Online betting was the clear winner for Iowa. 80.8% of all bets, or $120.8 million, were made online. In December, online betting accounted for 74.5%, or $78.1 million, of all bets. In the U.S., about 82% of all legal sports bets are made online, with most of the states without in-person registration requirements, such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania, taking in closer to 90%.
“Iowa’s market already showed a strong preference for online sportsbooks, but the change in the requirements should bring the state more in line to what we see in states such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania,” said Jessica Welman, analyst for PlayIA.com “In the pre-pandemic environment, online growth actually grew the pie rather than siphoning off significant action from the retail market. Once the market normalizes, that pattern should hold in Iowa, too.”
The end of the state’s in-person registration requirement altered the landscape for operators, too. DraftKings, the dominant brand on the Wild Rose license, helped wrestle the market lead away from William Hill/Prairie Meadows, but only slightly. The Wild Rose license, which includes DraftKings and newly launched BetRivers, accounted for 33% of the state’s online handle in January with $40.1 million in bets. William Hill, though, still attracted $39.8 million and led the market with $2.9 million revenue, making it the state’s single-largest brand. FanDuel, the nation’s largest sportsbook brand, fueled Diamond Jo’s $26.9 million in online bets. The Diamond Jo license, which also includes newly launched BetMGM, was second in revenue ($2.2 million), topping No. 3 Wild Rose ($2 million).
Diamond Jo Worth topped the retail market with $7.2 million in wagers.
“FanDuel and DraftKings own the market lead in nearly every legal U.S. market, so it’s no surprise that they capitalized on the rules change to increase their market share,” Gouker said. “But William Hill is proving to be a tough competitor. The battles over market share are now just beginning to heat up, though. That is good for consumers, who will benefit from fierce competition among operators.”
For more information and analysis on regulated sports betting in Iowa, visit PlayIA.com/news.
About the PlayUSA.com Network:
The PlayUSA.com Network is a leading source for news, analysis, and research related to the market for regulated online gaming in the United States. With a presence in over a dozen states, PlayUSA and its state-focused branches (including PlayIA.com, PlayNJ.com and PlayPennsylvania.com) produce daily original reporting, publish in-depth research, and offer player advocacy tools related to the advancement of safe, licensed, and legal online gaming options for consumers. Based in Las Vegas, the PlayUSA Network is independently owned and operated, with no affiliations to any casino — commercial, tribal, online, or otherwise.
Latest News
Appodeal’s 2025 Mobile Casual Benchmarks report shows hybrid casual games significantly outperforming hypercasual when it comes to ad-based monetization

Appodeal Publishing, part of Appodeal Ad Mediation Solution for Mobile Apps and Games that helps developers and studios launch and scale their games, today released its latest report, which takes a deep dive into the casual mobile games category, sharing a wealth of data on the best and worst performing casual game genres and subgenres. The report found that, while the best-performing hypercasual games are still delivering the biggest number of installs, the amount of advertising revenue per user they are generating is much lower than games using a hybrid casual approach, where games offer players a deeper level of engagement whilst still being designed to be easy to pick up and play.
The ‘Mobile Casual Benchmarks Report 2025’ is based on data from billions of installs of more than 10,000 mobile casual games by US users between June 2024 and January 2025. The data is drawn specifically from installs of Android apps.
With the vast majority of free-to-play mobile games using in-game advertising as a key revenue generator, ensuring a game generates enough engagement and longevity for ads to be displayed to the player is key. While hypercasual games remain a popular choice, Appodeal’s data shows a strong case for developers and publishers to be exploring hybrid casual game design over pure hypercasual, with deeper engagement mechanics – such as progression systems, collection elements, and light RPG or simulation features – allowing for a mix of ad monetization and in-app purchases (IAP).
Some of the key takeaways from the report include:
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Hypercasual games have a low ARPU of $0.86 on average, compared to Party and Match genre games, which generate the highest ad revenue, with an ARPU of $4.90 and $2.99, respectively. These two genres are the most lucrative when it comes to ad-supported monetization models.
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When it comes to monetization, the best-performing subgenre is Merge 3, with an ad ARPU of $14.83 This is considerably ahead of the next best-performing subgenre, Luck Battle games (games which use a random battle element to drive engagement), which have an ARPU of $12.23. Running and slicing themed games had the lowest ad ARPU amongst the subgenres looked at, at $2.34 and $2.19.
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Puzzle and Match Games rely heavily on ads, with the highest number of interstitials (72.5 and 36.5 per user), rewarded video (23.4 and 39.1 per user), and banner ads (241.5 and 114.3 per user). Finding the balance between ad frequency and user experience is critical; otherwise, retention will be affected.
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Rewarded Video works well in Merge and Idle games, with Merge 3 games serving an average of 101.5 videos per user, and Idle 73.2. This shows that the gameplay and meta mechanics of these titles naturally encourage users to watch ads for added in-game benefits.
“We know that the popularity of hypercasual games has passed its peak, and the data in our Mobile Casual Benchmarks report shows a continuing shift from hypercasual to hybrid casual games,” said Tanya Moroz, General Manager at Appodeal. “Despite hypercasual games still leading in terms of downloads, they suffer from low ad ARPU and poor retention. Hybrid casual games, by contrast, combine mass-market appeal with deeper engagement mechanics, significantly improving retention and monetization. We expect to see more developers and publishers shifting their strategy towards these kinds of games, which offer a richer gameplay experience coupled with better revenue potential.”
With genre-level and subgenre-level breakdowns across critical KPIs like retention, session time, ARPU, and ad formats, the report is aimed at mobile game developers, studios and publishers working in the casual to mid-core space, especially those currently developing hypercasual or ad-driven titles, and who want to make more informed genre choices and design decisions.
Compliance Updates
Aviatrix receives certifications in Brazil

The award-winning crash game Aviatrix has received certification for Brazil’s online gaming market, ensuring full compliance in the market.
Aviatrix has been granted full Federal Certification to offer its games via licensed operators in the country. Meanwhile, Aviatrix has also acquired a dedicated certification for the state of Paraná.
This means Brazilian players can now enjoy the most innovative crash game on the market – one that has already gained a loyal following across Latin America.
Anastasia Rimskaya, Chief Account Officer at Aviatrix, said: “This is a huge milestone for Aviatrix. Brazil is one of the most exciting, newly-regulated markets in the world. There is massive demand for high-quality content, and that’s why we know Aviatrix is going to thrive. We’re looking forward to bringing the game to the country via some world-class partners. Get ready for takeoff.”
Aviatrix has been rapidly expanding in Latin America over recent months, including in Peru and Colombia.
The company was also named ‘Rising Star in Casino’ at last year’s SBC Awards Latinoamérica.
Latest News
SkillOnNet Strengthens Mexican Market Offering with Light & Wonder, Elk Studios

Light & Wonder and ELK Studios’ games to be unleashed on Mexican market
Global entertainment brand SkillOnNet has expanded its existing partnerships with Light & Wonder and ELK Studios by launching their premium gaming content in the burgeoning Mexican market.
This expansion reinforces SkillOnNet’s commitment to delivering top-tier gaming experiences to players in regulated markets across the globe.
Players in Mexico will now have access to a rich portfolio of Light & Wonder and Elk Studios titles on SkillOnNet-powered Spanish-language casino brands, including its flagship, PlayUZU.
Light & Wonder is a global gaming powerhouse that developed some of the world’s most famous slot games, including ‘Dragon Train’, ‘Hot Hot Blazing Locks’, ‘Double Dragon’, ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stargate Megaways’.
In 2021, the company acquired maverick Swedish game developer, ELK Studios. ELK is known for cutting-edge games that blend unique storytelling and humour with off-the-chart playability, such as ‘Nitropolis’, ‘Tinkerbot’ and ‘Pirot’, as well as for its signature X-iter and CollectR mechanics.
Jani Kontturi, Head of Games at SkillOnNet said: “We are delighted to bring Light & Wonder’s and Elk Studios’ superb portfolios to our Mexican customers. Both studios have a strong reputation for developing world-class content, and their games have already proven to be hugely popular in other markets. By strengthening these partnerships, we continue to offer our players in Mexico an unmatched gaming experience with top-tier titles.”
Jack Riley, Commercial Account Director at Light & Wonder said: “It’s great to build on our highly successful partnership with SkillOnNet, enhancing our shared commitment to delivering high-quality, immersive gaming experiences. Through this expansion, we’re ensuring that more players have access to the rich variety of games that have made Light & Wonder and ELK Gaming leaders in the industry.”
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