Iowa § 99B.61 - 99B.61 Bona fide contests.

§ 99B.61. 99B.61 Bona fide contests.

1. A person may conduct, without a license, any of the contests specified in subsection 2, and may offer and pay awards to persons winning in those contests whether or not entry fees, participation fees, or other charges are assessed against or collected from the participants, if all of the following requirements are met: a. A gambling device is not used in conjunction with or incident to the contest. b. The contest is not conducted in whole or in part on or in any property subject to chapter 297, relating to schoolhouses and schoolhouse sites, unless the contest and the person conducting the contest has the express written approval of the governing body of that school district. c. The contest is conducted in a fair and honest manner. d. A contest shall not be designed or adapted to permit the operator of the contest to prevent a participant from winning or to predetermine who the winner will be. e. The object of the contest must be attainable and possible to perform under the rules stated. f. If the contest is a tournament, the tournament operator shall prominently display all tournament rules. 2. A contest, including a contest in a league or tournament, is lawful only if it falls into one of the following event categories: a. Athletic or sporting events. Events in this category include basketball, volleyball, football, baseball, softball, soccer, wrestling, swimming, track and field, racquetball, tennis, squash, badminton, table tennis, rodeos, horse shows, golf, bowling, trap or skeet shoots, fly casting, tractor pulling, rifle, pistol, musket, or muzzle-loader shooting, billiards, darts, archery, and horseshoes. b. Racing and skill-type events. Events in this category include horse races, harness racing, ski, airplane, snowmobile, raft, boat, bicycle, and motor vehicle races. c. Arts and crafts-type events. Events in this category include cooking, horticulture, livestock, poultry, fish or other animals, artwork, hobbywork, and craftwork, except those prohibited by chapter 717A. d. Card game-type and board game-type events. Events in this category include cribbage, bridge, euchre, chess, checkers, dominoes, and pinochle. e. Trivia and trading card events. f. Video game-type and video sporting-type events. Events in this category include pinball games, video games, and video machine golf tournament games, where skill is the predominant factor in determining the result of play and tournament scores. To be lawful, a player shall operate a video machine with a device which directly impacts the results of the game. 3. A poker, blackjack, craps, keno, or roulette contest, league, or tournament shall not be considered a bona fide contest under this section. [C75, §99B.11, 726.13; C77, 79, 81, §99B.11] 2000 Acts, ch 1231, §36; 2002 Acts, ch 1068, §13; 2004 Acts, ch 1056, §1, 10; 2004 Acts, ch 1175, §365; 2005 Acts, ch 106, §9; 2015 Acts, ch 99, §24, 56 C2016, §99B.61 Referred to in §99B.45 Wed Dec 10 22:37:33 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Section 99B.61 (21, 0)