- Applications for the Linn County casino license are due on September 16 for the new Cedar Rapids casino.
- A virtual meeting was held on Friday morning to determine the licensing timeline, which includes a market study on economic impact on December 30.
- The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission will issue its final vote on February 6, 2025.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission met on Friday to set their timeline for casino license applications in Linn County. Applications for the new gaming facility with blackjack and more in Cedar Rapids are due on September 16.
Linn County had two failed bids back in 2014 and 2017, but now the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) will review gaming license applications for a third time. Cedar Rapids tried to get a casino back in 2022, but state lawmakers passed a two-year moratorium that prevented any new licensing opportunities so that other casinos in Cedar Rapids wouldn’t lose revenue.
Timeline Set By IRGC Includes Feb. 2025 Final Vote
Now that that moratorium is over and hasn’t been extended, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is accepting casino applications until September 16 and presenting them on October 3. The Commission also agreed that site visits will take place on November 20, with opportunities for comments from the public in a Q&A segment.
The next stage of the casino license application timeline is a market study that shows the casino’s impact on Linn County, as well as the entire state of Iowa. A large reason why it’s taken so long for an additional Cedar Rapids casino to come to fruition is because of fear surrounding revenue depletion of existing casinos.
The state-wide benefits of the new Iowa blackjack casino expect to outweigh the harm on other Cedar Rapids casino business. However, it will ultimately be up to the IRGC when they hold a meeting on February 6, 2025, to issue a final vote on the casino applications.