On Friday, February 7, backers of the proposed US$275m Cedar Crossing Casino and Entertainment Center project in Iowa, US, were granted a gaming licence by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, despite last-minute legal complications.
The project was put in doubt when, at the end of January, lawmakers in Iowa’s House of Representatives passed a bill with a five-year moratorium on new casino licences by a vote of 68-31, but it failed days later in the state’s Senate.
The development project, planned for Cedar Rapids and pitched by Linn County Gaming Association and its partner Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, will house 700 slot machines and 22 table games, along with a 1,500-seat entertainment venue and more.
This is the third time Linn County has pitched for a gaming licence, having been rejected by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission in both 2014 and 2017 citing concerns over ‘cannibalising’ profits from existing the state’s other 19 licenced facilities and four tribal casinos.
But the casino’s proponents say it will increase the state’s gaming tax revenue by an estimated $10.5m, and may in fact combat a predicted loss of state gaming tax revenue due to competition from surrounding states.
