Linn County Gaming Association to Apply for Casino When Moratorium Ends

Linn County Gaming Association and Peninsula Pacific Entertainment will apply for the Cedar Crossing casino in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after the state’s two-year moratorium on new gaming licenses expires June 30.

Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission rejected proposals for a casino in Linn County in 2014 and 2017

“We were prepared to apply for a license before the legislature introduced the moratorium and so we’ve just kind of been patiently waiting for two years for that to lift and to continue forward with that process,” said Anne Parmley, Board President of the Linn County Gaming Association.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) rejected proposals for a brick-and-mortar casino in Linn County in 2014 and 2017. The city of Cedar Rapids has set aside land along the west side of the Cedar River for development.

“That strip along First Street will be an incredible entertainment destination,” said Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell. “This is not a done deal. This is just an encouraging step that now allows us to apply,” said O’Donnell.

Linn County voters approved gambling twice. They voted in favor of allowing gambling in the county back in 2013.

“The way the process works is that if a gaming license is not issued in eight years after a past vote, you have to vote again,” said Parmley added.

Therefore, voters approved gaming again in 2021. According to the state’s code, the authorization to operate gambling in a county becomes permanent if approved twice by voters in the county in two successive tries.

If granted a license, Cedar Crossing is expected to contribute 8% of its annual gaming revenue to local nonprofits

Furthermore, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed that two-year moratorium in 2022.

“While we would have liked this to have happened a long time ago, time hasn’t necessarily been a bad thing. We have had an opportunity as a city to make sure that we’re prepared,” said O’Donnell.

Additionally, she reiterated that Cedar Crossing could have major economic development in the future.

“Tremendous economic development, not just from the standpoint of getting the casino up and running and the jobs that that would create, but the hundreds of jobs that an entertainment facility like that creates just by being in existence.”

If granted a license, Cedar Crossing plans to contribute 8% of its annual gaming revenue to local nonprofits. That’s more than the 3% required by the state. The city would not provide any tax-payer-funded incentive for this project.

“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 O’Donnell.

The administrator of the IRGC says commissioners will discuss how to move forward when the moratorium on gambling licenses expires. A meeting for future plans is scheduled for July 8 in Altoona.

According to the 2020 census, Linn County has a population of 230,299.