Photo courtesy of Elite Casinos

The “Hawkeye Effect” on sports wagering during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was a help and a hindrance to Elite Sportsbook at Riverside Casino and Golf Resort.

Betworks handles sports betting for the casino and Betworks Chief Risk Officer Jay Rood says having Iowa in the tournament was a “liability” to wagering when the Hawkeyes bowed out after two games, but fans were loyal to the Hawks up until then, “Whenever Iowa played we had really good action, the handle to college basketball for the whole month (March) was really strong, so this being the first attempt Iowa had (since the state legalized gambling) at March Madness, we were really encouraged by the results that we had and I believe that also drove quite a bit of visitation to the property.”

Sports wagering in Iowa for March set a new state record with $161.4 million in bets placed. Rood says the results have been aided by the state no longer requiring bettors to register in person. He says this past weekend’s Masters golf tournament and the start of the Major League Baseball season are providing good action at Elite Sportsbook.