Iowa Receives Donations From Elite Local Casinos Months After Gambling Investigation

Elite Casino Resorts has made a significant gift to Swarm, the University of Iowa’s NIL collective. Three of the company’s five casinos are located in Iowa: one is in Davenport, Iowa, an hour east of the Iowa City campus, and the other is fifteen minutes south of the campus. Sports betting, mobile gaming, and in-person wagering at their physical sites are all available at Elite Casino Resort.

Iowa Receives Donations From Elite Local Casinos Months After Gambling Investigation

This gift is noteworthy because it was made months after a gambling investigation resulted in the charges of underage gambling against fifteen student-athletes ata Iowa and Iowa State. Numerous other student-athletes were also punished by the NCAA, including Iowa’s standout defensive lineman Noah Shannon, who lost his whole season due to the investigation.

Athletes shouldn’t expect to appear at the neighbourhood sports book, but this step does make it slightly easier for Iowa athletics to advance in the NIL game. The group is following NCAA regulations on athletes supporting certain businesses.

“Our 2023 SWARM partnership brought a new level of support and excitement for our charitable events,” Dan Kehl, CEO of Elite Casino Resorts noted. “SWARM athletes participated in our Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids’ Sake, the GIVE Foundation Annual Golf Outing, we SWARMED the community in October, and most recently, a Toys for Tots drive. Part of our success comes from giving back to the communities we serve, and we are proud to continue supporting student athletes and local charities.”

Swarm revealed last week that Elite Casino Resorts has contributed $500,000 to the collective. last is a significant financial boost for the football team, which is probably hoping to use the transfer portal to resurrect its offense following the departure of offensive coach Brian Ferentz.

Fans of Iowa are happy about the possible advantages that such a sizable investment may have on the field, but there are bigger concerns about a gaming firm becoming involved in NIL matters. in particular, a gaming business that provides sports betting.

CEO of SWARM Collective Brad Heinrichs stated to On3 back in March that student-athletes will not serve as mobile advertisements for the casinos.

“Our relationship with Elite Casinos is that they’re not wanting our student-athletes to market for their casinos. They want our student-athletes to do work for charity. They’re basically paying The Swarm as a donation to try to have the student-athletes do greater good for the Eastern Iowa community. It’s not as if they’re paying the student-athletes to go and try to get people to gamble more.”

In terms of openness, Iowa’s NIL law is unique among states in that it does not impose any limitations on athlete endorsements from businesses operating in ethically sound sectors. Nothing prevents Iowan student-athletes who compete for teams from entering into agreements with businesses that deal with tobacco, guns, gambling, alcohol, etc.

 

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