Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to gambling, including social gambling between individuals and the operation of poker card rooms, and providing fees
Sponsored by Sen. Jesse Green (R)
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 28, 2026
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 3, 2026
- Stopped: Senate committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: House committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2026 session adjourned on May 3, 2026, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary Iowa would allow people to play more types of games, like poker and chess, for fun in social settings. It also lets people apply for a license to run a poker card room that only offers poker games to adults 21 and older. These card rooms can charge a small fee to run the games, but the state will create rules to regulate them and collect taxes.1
Read the official explanation
This bill changes the list of games allowed as social gambling between individuals from games of skill and games of chance, except casino-style games other than poker, to instead include card and parlor games, including but not limited to poker, pinochle, pitch, gin rummy, bridge, euchre, hearts, cribbage, dominoes, checkers, chess, backgammon, pool, and darts. The bill allows a person to apply to the state racing and gaming commission (commission) for a license to operate a poker card room, defined in the bill as a gambling structure that offers poker games, including poker variants, to the public but does not offer any other form of gambling game or wagering. The bill allows a poker card room to offer poker games to persons 21 years of age and older and to charge a rake, defined in the bill as a fee charged by the operator of a poker card room for providing the poker game, collected from each pot or on a length-of-time basis. The bill requires the commission to adopt rules setting maximum rake percentages or structures, as well as rules for the licensing, operation, taxation, and regulation of poker card rooms, including a license fee to be deposited in the general fund of the state.
Senate subcommittee
Named February 3, 2026. It hasn’t reported yet.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part