Lawmaker says state agents’ sports gambling investigation may have started at Iowa Capitol
May 14th, 2025 by Ric Hanson
(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa lawmaker is accusing state investigators of testing software on the Iowa Capitol before using it to monitor Iowa and Iowa State athletes to see if they were using smart phone apps to gamble. Republican Representative Megan Jones of Sioux Rapids says it appears the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation spied on people in the Iowa Capitol without a warrant. “People are furious,” she said. Jones says the state agency involved has refused to answer questions, so Jones brought the situation up during debate on the House floor today (Wednesday).
“Now, they might be a little bit more willing to answer some questions. I think there has been this desire to just kind of sweep this under the rug and forget about it,” Jones said. “…One lawyer pulled me aside and said this is potentially going to be the biggest class action lawsuit that the state has ever seen.”A state investigation using software to monitor sports betting on smart phones resulted in at least 35 athletes and team staff from Iowa and Iowa State being charged with gambling illegally and student athletes lost all or part of their N-C-double-A eligibility.
As for the alleged round of testing at the Iowa Capitol, Jones says everyone who enters the Capitol should have an expectation of data privacy and that would be violated if their phones were being monitored. “There are a lot of people in this building on any given day, depending on what groups were here, what people were here.” Jones says lawmakers have concerns about the culture in the Division of Criminal Investigation. “We need an in-depth analysis of what they’re doing,” Jones said.
According to Representative Jones, information about the D-C-I’s testing at the Capitol was revealed in documents related to a lawsuit that’s challenging the state’s investigation of an athlete charged with illegal gambling. “I am not alone in my rage,” Jones said on the House floor. “…This very building folks, to test software, to test phones for illegal gambling. And what was the probable cause? I see none. This was a fishing expedition.”