Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission considers petition to block gaming license for Linn County

BURLINGTON, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission spoke briefly at a meeting in Burlington Thursday morning about a petition to block a gaming license permit for Linn County.

Cedar Rapids needs a gaming license to build the proposed Cedar Crossing Casino.

The petition to block the permit was filed by Riverside Casino and the Washington County Riverboat Foundation.

They argue that the Racing and Gaming Commission does not have the authority to issue a gaming license to Linn County.

They argue that a ballot measure passed by Linn County voters several years ago used outdated language and did not allow new votes in the county.

On Thursday the Racing and Gaming Commission said it wanted to hold a meeting specifically to consider the petition. However, it is not yet known whether or when this meeting will take place.

After Thursday’s meeting was postponed, TV9 spoke with Racing and Gaming Commission chairman Daryl Olsen.

He said that with the new meeting, their decisions are expected to be made on February 6, 2025.

“We’ve been pretty consistent in how we’re approaching this whole licensing process, we’re going to gather all the information we can, we’re going to continue to gather information and then we’re going to make the best decision we can based on all the information we can gather,” Olsen said. “Nothing should affect our decision day; we will try to direct our staff to handle this as quickly and completely as possible.”

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