The two-year moratorium on casino licenses in Iowa expired on June 30th, which means any project put on hold because of it will come to life again. Among those most likely to see a gaming establishment in its future is Cedar Rapids, and its mayor is already preparing for the application process.
Lining Up to Signing Up
In June 2022, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds put her signature on a bill that placed a two-year moratorium on the issuance of new casino licenses in the state. But that piece of legislation, House File 2497, expired on June 30th, which means many of those communities seeking a casino project in their backyard will be applying for a license beginning in July.
Among those locales is Cedar Rapids, the administrative center of Lin County, the second most populous city and county in Iowa. Two groups, the Lin County Gaming Association, and Peninsula Entertainment, are lobbying for the next casino project to come to Cedar Rapids.
It helps that they have the full support of its mayor, Tiffany O’Donnell, who believes the temporary and permanent jobs the casino project will bring coupled with the economic boon to the area is well worth the effort.
“[A casino would bring] tremendous economic development, not just from the standpoint of getting the casino up and running and the jobs that would create, but the hundreds of jobs that an entertainment facility like that creates just by being in existence,” said Mayor O’Donnell
Try, Try, Try Again
This is not the county’s first time trying to bring casino gaming to Cedar Rapids as a plan was rejected by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) in 2014 and 2017 before voters approved a new plan in November 2021.
Unfortunately, it was only seven months later when the two-year freeze on casino licenses went into effect. This brings us to July 2024, when licenses are available yet again but getting through the application and approval processes are both obstacles that must be hurdled.
“Our next steps will be to attend the July 8 meeting of the IRGC and find out, you know, what we need to do in order to hopefully get a casino here once and for all,” said Mayor O’Donnell.
There are currently 19 licensed casinos in Iowa and the five-member panel of the IRGC is expected to outline the details for casino applications and the subsequent vetting process at the July 8th meeting being held at the Prairie Meadows Casino and Hotel in Altoona. One of the earlier objections to a Cedar Rapids casino was that other casinos could be adversely impacted like the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort located only 40 minutes south of Cedar Rapids.
The People Have Spoken
However, the people of Cedar Rapids have spoken and the second-largest city in Iowa wants a casino to reflect its status as a destination to visit when tourists or commerce comes to Iowa.
Jonathan Swain, a Peninsula Pacific Entertainment board member, said in a statement, “The time is now for Cedar Crossing. Linn County residents have overwhelmingly passed two gaming referendums and they have been patient. With the moratorium expiring soon, we look forward to bringing an unprecedented casino gaming and entertainment destination to Cedar Rapids.”
