Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approves Cedar Rapids bid for casino license
ALTOONA — After a years-long effort by Cedar Rapids officials to land a casino license, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission voted 4-1 this morning to grant a state license for a casino in Cedar Rapids.
The Racing and Gaming Commission rejected casino proposals for Cedar Rapids in 2014 and 2017. Linn County voters in 2021 approved another gambling referendum to start the process again leading up to today’s vote. A study presented to the commission last month showed a Cedar Rapids casino would generate about $60 million in new revenue, but around $57 million of that would be cannibalized from existing Iowa casinos, with the biggest impacts being felt by the state-licensed casinos in Riverside and Waterloo as well as the Mesquaki casino in Tama.
An attorney for the Riverside casino says they plan on filing a lawsuit to challenge the commission’s vote, as they say the Linn County gambling referendum was not worded correctly and that the application should not have been considered.
