Harrah's and Horseshoe Council Bluffs launch sports betting with Scientific Games

Harrah’s and Horseshoe Council Bluffs opened “The Book” sports betting Friday at both casinos. Celebrities, media, and government officials participated in an opening celebration at Horseshoe including local boxing standout, Terence Crawford, and former Nebraska Quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, Eric Crouch.  

The Book at Harrah’s Council Bluffs opened Friday evening to the general public. The launch includes sportsbook technology provided by Scientific Games OpenSports product suite which provides an intuitive experience for all of The Book’s bettors. Iowa marks the fifth state live as part of the companies’ sports betting partnership.

Crouch placed the first official bet at the Grand Opening event and will donate all winnings to the Children’s Hospital Omaha. He bet $1,000 on Nebraska to win their first game of the season. "My whole life, I've never bet on sports games, or anything like that," he said, as reported by KETV. "I've never really been a big gambler, I've come over to the Horseshoe, I've been to Harrah's, I've played blackjack, and I've done some small things and had some fun."

After Crouch's bet, dozens of others made their first bets. Now, all three Council Bluffs casinos are open to sports betting. "We'll be open all week," said Samir Mowad, the general manager of the Council Bluffs Harrah's and Horseshoe casinos. "We have futures bets, prop bets, anything you can think of, the kind of bets that you can place in Vegas."

"Sports is in our DNA and when people go to Vegas, they talk about the Caesars Sportsbook and that's literally what we've brought here to our properties," Mowad said.

#OpenSports is now live in 5 states across the U.S. with our latest launches today at Harrahs Council Bluffs and Horseshoe Council Bluffs in Iowa.

We look forward to the ongoing success of our sportsbook portfolio with Caesars Entertainment Corporation in new U.S. markets. pic.twitter.com/xCQebdhYUV

— Scientific Games (@ScientificGames) August 23, 2019