Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approves licence for Cedar Rapids casino
The developer expects to break ground immediately.
US.- The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has approved a licence application for a new casino in Cedar Rapids. The proposed $275m development will be built on the former Cooper’s Mill site on Cedar Rapids’ northwest side.
Board members voted 4-1 to grant a gaming licence for the proposed entertainment center. Cedar Rapids City Council had approved a development agreement for construction in December, but the project was thrown into doubt by a proposed five-year moratorium on new casinos in the state.
Other casinos in Iow had argued that a casino in Cesar Rapids would harm their revenue. However, a Senate committee this week declined to advance the moratorium proposal, which was supported by a majority of the House.
Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell compared the battle to “David versus Goliath”. “Honestly, a cataclysmic (*) day for Cedar Rapids and Linn County. Linn County, Cedar Rapids, deserves this.” We presume “cataclysmic” was not the word she intended to use.
(*) Focus Gaming News investigated deeper on this and we can say that O’Donnell later clarified that she was so excited after the vote, that she used the word “cataclysmic” when she meant to say “transformative.”
Project planners intend to break ground on the project today (February 7). Jonathan Swain, a board member with Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, the developing group behind the project, said he was “shovel ready” for a project he has spent 12 years planning. He said it’ll probably take us 18 to 22 months to build the venue.
The new casino will feature a gaming floor with 700 slot machines and 22 table games, plus a group of restaurants, bars, a 1,500-seat entertainment venue, an arts and cultural centre and a STEM lab for families.
Attempts to bring a casino to Cedar Rapids failed in 2014 and 2017. On both occasions, the IRGC said a new venue would take away from other nearby casino. There are 19 licensed casinos in Iowa).
