Iowa gaming regulators heard public comments Wednesday about a proposed new casino in Cedar Rapids. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Members of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission heard mostly positive comments Wednesday about a proposed new casino in Cedar Rapids, as well as some concerns from people affiliated with a group, Iowans for Common Sense, that was launched to oppose casino expansion in the state.
The IRGC meeting was held at the Kirkwood Center in Cedar Rapids, where members of the public and advocates were able to speak about the proposed Cedar Crossing Casino and Entertainment Center. The $275 million casino would be located in northwest Cedar Rapids.
Building a casino has long been a discussion in the community: Cedar Rapids was denied permission to build a casino by the IRGC in 2017, and the state legislature passed a two-year moratorium on new gaming licenses in 2022.
Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, introduced a measure to extend that moratorium in the final moments before the 2024 legislative session was set to end, but it failed to pass. However, Kaufmann said he plans to introduce a new moratorium law in 2025.
Earlier in November, the group Iowans for Common Sense launched an advertising campaign and petition in support of a statewide moratorium on new casinos. The group argues that Iowa does not need more casinos, citing a statewide survey conducted by UpONE Insights that found 66% of Iowa voters oppose adding more casinos in the state.
While a new casino moratorium may be approved in the coming year, there are currently no legal barriers to the commission approving new projects starting July 1. With this opening, local government officials, business owners and groups such as Cedar Rapids Entertainment’s Peninsula Pacific (P2E) company and the Linn County Gaming Association, which would support Cedar Crossing, have strongly advocated in recent months for the IRGC to approve the latest proposal .
These comments were reiterated during the public hearing. Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell asked the IRGC for a “fair chance” in opening a casino and said the idea was overwhelmingly popular within Cedar Rapids, evidenced by the fact that Linn County residents in 2013 and 2021 gambling referendums approved.
“I get to be the voice of the people who are not in this room, here to tell you that we want this,” O’Donnell said. ‘And all we ask of you is an opportunity and a fair reward. Because what happens outside is not us.”
There were several speakers who opposed the project, saying that building a new casino would not generate new revenue or tourism for the state and would instead detract from existing casinos and gaming venues in Iowa.
Eric Bertch, speaking on behalf of Lost Island Themepark in Waterloo, said their company works closely with Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo, which would be negatively affected by a casino in Cedar Rapids – and that this would impact the other businesses that benefit from the incoming tourism. from the Waterloo casino.
“As Iowa entrepreneurs, we believe in free, enterprising competition,” Bertch said. “We also believe in collaboration. By working together to improve the state, the wide variety of unique attractions will have a much greater impact on regional tourism than duplicating efforts. That is why we strongly oppose adding a casino in Linn County.”
Proponents of the casino argued that there will be no negative impact on nearby gambling facilities, pointing to a study commissioned by P2E that found the proposed casino would generate $80.2 million in new revenue for the state, while having an impact of $27.8 million would have on existing casinos in Iowa. .
The IRGC plans to vote on the Cedar Crossing proposal on February 6, 2025.
