Hunter
04/22/24
Hopes to build a gambling facility in Cedar Rapids have reignited after the Iowa Legislature adjourned early Saturday without extending a moratorium on new casino licenses.
The Gazette reports that a five-year extension of the two-year moratorium passed in 2022 due to expire in July was passed by the House. It also would have lined up with a socioeconomic study the Racing and Gaming Commission is conducting on the impact of gambling on Iowans that’s due in July 2029.
The Senate adjourned the legislative session without considering the measure.
Cedar Rapids casino backers started the process of getting a license through the Racing and Gaming Commission in 2022 before the state legislature put the two-year moratorium into effect. The Commission rejected license proposals in 2014 and again in 2017.
Elite Casino Resorts chief executive officer Dan Kehl opposes a Cedar Rapids casino, saying it would draw revenue from casinos the company runs in Riverside and Davenport. He has the backing of Republican Bobby Kaufmann, chair of the House Tax Policy Committee. Kaufmann agrees there’s a real concern about oversaturation if a new casino in the region is approved.
Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell told the newspaper that the city isn’t asking for special treatment, just the opportunity to apply for a gambling license. She says the city’s voters overwhelmingly approve of the idea.
City-owned property in the northwest quadrant near downtown has been set aside to be purchased by the Cedar Rapids Development Group. The former Cooper’s Mill site would be redeveloped into the Cedar Crossing Casino.