Iowa gaming regulators heard public comments Wednesday on a proposed new casino in Cedar Rapids. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Members of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission heard mostly favorable comments Wednesday about a proposed new casino in Cedar Rapids, as well as some concerns from people affiliated with a group, Iowans for Common Sense, launched to oppose casino expansion in the state.
The IRGC meeting was held at the Kirkwood Center in Cedar Rapids, allowing members of the public and advocates to speak on the proposed Cedar Crossing Casino and Entertainment Center. The $275 million casino would be located in northwest Cedar Rapids.
Building a casino has been a longstanding discussion in the community: Cedar Rapids was denied permission to construct a casino by the IRGC in 2017, and the state Legislature went on to pass a two-year moratorium on new gaming licenses in 2022.
Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, introduced a measure to extend that moratorium in the final moments before the 2024 legislative session finished, but it was not approved. However, Kaufmann said he plans to introduce a new moratorium bill in 2025.
Earlier in November, the group Iowans for Common Sense launched an advertising campaign and petition supporting a statewide moratorium on new casinos. The group argues that Iowa does not need more casinos, referencing a statewide survey conducted by UpONE Insights that found 66% of Iowa voters oppose adding more casinos in the state.
While a new casino moratorium may be approved in the upcoming year, there are currently no legal barriers to the commission approving new projects as of July 1. With this opening, Cedar Rapids local government officials, business owners, and groups like the company Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E) and the Linn County Gaming Association that would be backing Cedar Crossing have strongly advocated for the IRGC to approve the latest proposal in recent months.
These comments were echoed again at the public hearing. Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell asked the IRGC for a “fair shot” at opening a casino, saying the idea was overwhelmingly popular within Cedar Rapids, evidenced by Linn County residents passing gaming referendums in 2013 and 2021.
“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 said. “And all we’re asking for from you is an opportunity and a fair shake. Because what’s happening on the outside, it’s not us.”
There were several speakers who opposed the project, saying that the construction of a new casino would not generate new revenue or tourism for the state, but instead detract from existing casinos and gaming locations in Iowa.
Eric Bertch, speaking on behalf of Lost Island Themepark in Waterloo, said that their business works closely with Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo, which would be negatively impacted by a Cedar Rapids casino – and that this would affect the other businesses that benefit from tourism brought in by the Waterloo casino.
“As Iowa business owners, we believe in free, enterprising competition,” Bertch said. “We also believe in collaboration. Working together to enhance the state the wide variety of unique attractions will have a far greater impact on regional tourism than duplicating efforts. This is why we strongly oppose adding a casino in Linn County.”
Advocates for the casino argued that there will not be a negative impact on nearby gaming facilities, pointing to a study commissioned by P2E that found the proposed casino would bring $80.2 million new revenue revenue to the state while having a $27.8 million impact on existing Iowa casinos.
The IRGC plans to vote on the Cedar Crossing proposal on Feb. 6, 2025.