Iowa could grant a casino license

Iowa authorities would expand the casino industry by granting Cedar Rapids a new gaming license.

US.- Cedar Rapids would obtain another gaming license in order to expand the casino industry in Iowa. According to official sources, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is evaluating to grant the operating permission to the traditional operators of local gaming salon.

The Racing and Gaming Commission is visiting this week the Cedar Rapids salon in order to decide whether to final grant the gaming permission or not. “Those site visits will last approximately 45 minutes each and will take the good part of the morning,” according to Racing and Gaming administrator, Brian Ohorilko. “At one o’clock…the commission will get a chance to hear from the general public.”

Once authorities check the proposals, the Racing and Gaming Commission will complete the evaluation process next month. Casino operators would learn whether they get the license by then. “The last meeting of the year is on November 16, that meeting is at the Diamond Jo Dubuque. A decision will be made at that time regarding the Linn County applications,” Ohorilko continued.

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. 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.