Des Moines, Iowa — A five-year moratorium on new casinos in the state has stalled in the Iowa Senate.
Senator Ken Rozenboom, chairman of the Senate State Government Committee, made the announcement late Tuesday afternoon.
The bill easily cleared the House last week — on a 68 to 31 vote. Rozenboom says a casino moratorium will not be considered in the Senate this year.
Rozenboom, a Republican from Oskaloosa, says he is no fan of gambling and his decision not to advance the legislation should not be interpreted as support for casino expansion.
On Thursday, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is scheduled to decide whether to issue a state license for a $275 million casino project in Cedar Rapids. House backers of the casino moratorium were hoping it would quickly pass the Senate and the governor would sign it into law before the commission’s meeting. The bill does include a retroactive clause, so if it were passed later in the year — it would overrule the commission if the panel approves the Cedar Rapids casino project. Rozenboom says it’s time to move on to other issues of critical importance to Iowans.
In the past nine days, there have been three public hearings at the Iowa Capitol that drew supporters and opponents of the casino moratorium. Patty Koller is executive director of the Washington County Riverboat Foundation, the non-profit that holds the Riverside casino license. She spoke to lawmakers yesterday (Tuesday).
Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell asked legislators to ignore the casino industry’s pressure and let the Racing and Gaming Commission decide if her city gets a casino license.
O’Donnell describes the casino as part of the city’s revival from the devastating floods that affected so many Cedar Rapids residents in 2008.
Molly Grover of the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce asked legislators to protect the cities that already have casinos from losing revenue to a Cedar Rapids casino.
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission rejected casino proposals for Cedar Rapids in 2014 and again 2017. Linn County voters approved another gambling referendum in 2021, setting the stage for this latest casino application.
