Iowa to consider three casino proposals
The gaming commission discussed the possibility of bringing a new casino to Cedar Rapids.
US.- The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission met yesterday at Prairie Meadows Casino and Hotel in Altoona in order to discuss several topics on the agenda, included a proposal to bring a casino to Cedar Rapids.
The local gaming commission received three different proposals earlier this year, which wanted to relive the failed proposal of 2014, when the government decided that a casino in Cedar Rapids would affect the businesses in neighboring gaming venues such as the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort. As kcrg.com said, the first proposal includes the Cedar Crossing on the River, worth US$165 million. The second one would move to the Five Seasons Ramp near the U-S Cellular Center and it would cost US$105 million. The third one, a US$40 million facility, would be considerably smaller than the other two proposals as it would be a boutique style casino, near the First Avenue downtown.
Wild Rose casino development group President Tom Timmons, who presented first, said: “We heeded what you said in April of 2014 when you denied the license application for Cedar Rapids. The chief reasons you gave for rejecting that application were, cannibalisation, saturation, and fear of destabilisation.”
The commission is set to visit the proposed sited in September and vote on the subject in November. The bidding process would permit a new casino license to develop the industry in Cedar Rapids, the largest city of Linn County, Iowa.
