On July 12, 2024, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission met and approved a timeline for the submission and review of applications for a casino in Linn County. The timeline included application due dates, application presentations, sites visits, public comment and a market study.
Linn County Accordion
Public comment regarding the pending application for a casino license in Linn County may be provided to IRGC as follows:
Comments will be accepted at an in-person public meeting on November 20, 2024 at:
Events and Conference Entrance at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center
7725 Kirkwood Boulevard SW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
- Meeting will start at 10am.
- A speaker registration period will precede the meeting. Individuals who wish to speak at the meeting must register between 8 am and 10 am before the meeting begins. Commission staff will be on site to assist with speaker registration. When registering, speakers will be assigned a speaker group and a number. Speakers in line but not yet fully registered when the meeting begins will still receive a speaker group and number.
- During the meeting, individuals will be asked to line up by group and speaker number. In order to speak during the meeting, individuals must be present when it is their turn to speak.
- Each speaker will be allotted 3 minutes. Specific organizations, businesses, or licensees must designate one person to speak on the group’s or organization’s behalf.
Written comments will be accepted at any time prior to the Commission decision date of February, 6 2025.
Via email at: irgc@iowa.gov
Via standard mail at:
Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission
6200 Park Ave., Ste 100
Des Moines, IA 50321
On November 8, 2024, the Commission received a petition for declaratory order, pursuant to 491 IAC 2.20, from Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, LLC and Washington County Riverboat Foundation, Inc. regarding Iowa Code section 99F.7(11). The petition requests that the Commission make a determination on its authority to issue a license in Linn County based on potential concerns with the validity of the ballot language used in the 2021 Linn County referendum to authorize gambling games.
8/15/2024 - Due date for Market Study Proposals
8/29/2024 - RFP presentations by potential Market Study vendors
9/16/2024 - Due date for new casino applications
10/3/2024 - New casino applicant presentations
11/20/2024 - Site visits with Q&A for Commissioners; Public comment meeting
12/30/2024 - Market Studies due in Commission office
1/23/2025 - Public presentation of Market Studies
2/6/2025 - Commission vote on casino application