Cedar Rapids Casino Debated Before Iowa Gaming Commission

^{Cedar Rapid Mayor Tiffany O'Donnell say residents are in favor of bringing a casino to the city (Image: 1819 News)}

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) held a public meeting to allow comment on the proposed Cedar Crossing Casino and Entertainment Center on Wednesday, with supporters battling a new group launched to oppose land-based casino expansion.

Local officials in Ceder Rapids, along with members of the Linn County Gaming Association and Peninsula Pacific Entertainment – the two groups developing the proposed casino – spoke favorably of the impact the development could have on the local economy.

Mayor: Residents Want Casino Gaming in Cedar Rapids

According to Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell, local residents are overwhelmingly in favor of bringing a casino to the city.

“I get to be the voice of the people who aren’t in this room, here to tell you that we want this,” O’Donnell told the IRGC. “And all we’re asking for from you is an opportunity and a fair shake.”

The leading group opposing the $275 million development is Iowans for Common Sense, which was launched earlier this month. The group has been advocating for a statewide moratorium on new casino development, citing surveys that show about two-thirds of Iowans are against adding more gaming venues in the state.

Others at the meeting suggested that a new Cedar Rapids casino would primarily cannibalize revenues from other existing casinos, such as the Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo, thus hurting other businesses that are benefiting from gaming at the moment.

“Working together to enhance the state, the wide variety of unique attractions will have a far greater impact on regional tourism than duplicating efforts,” Eric Bertch, speaking for the Lost Island Theme Park in Waterloo, said at the meeting. 

“That is why we strongly oppose adding a casino in Linn County.”

Lapsed Moratorium Opens Door for New Casinos

Cedar Rapids has been moving towards approval for a casino for over a decade. Linn County residents voted on and passed gaming referendums in both 2013 and 2021. In 2017, the IRGC denied permission for a new casino in the city. In 2022, the Iowa Legislature passed a two-year moratorium on new gaming licenses, temporarily shutting the door for Cedar Rapids and other casino hopefuls.

While legislators offered up an extension to that moratorium at the end of the 2024 legislative session, that measure wasn’t approved. With State Rep. Bobby Kaufman (R-Wilton) vowing to reintroduce a new moratorium bill next year, that may leave only a small window for Cedar Rapids to try and gain approval for a new license.

However, there are also legal challenges to the Cedar Rapids proposal. Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, along with its license holder, the Washington County Riverboat Foundation, are petitioning the IRGC for a declaratory order stating that the Commission doesn’t have the authority to issue a license for a Linn County casino.

According to attorney Mark Weinhardt, who is representing Riverside Casino, the 2021 ballot measures approved in the county featured outdated language, and only approved the continuation of some gambling games, while not approving new gaming. 

Linn County Gaming Association President Anne Parmley argue that the petition is merely a delaying tactic, an attempt to run out the clock until a new statewide casino moratorium is passed.

“I’m confident, based on the information that I’ve been given, that Linn County voters voted favorably towards gaming in Linn County in the way that they should have,” Parmley told The Gazette.