About 500 people attended the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission’s public hearing in Jefferson in Greene County to air their views on a proposed million casino. Most of the 70 people who spoke supported the development, which would create 270-325 jobs. Greene County voters passed a casino referendum last August with 75 percent approval.
Commissioners will vote on the plan on June 12 in Burlington.
The developer would be Wild Rose Entertainment, which also operates casinos in Emmetsburg and Clinton. Their nonprofit partner and license holder would be Grow Greene County Gaming Corporation. The casino resort would offer a gaming floor with 500 slots and 14 table games, plus restaurants, a conference center and hotel.
Speaking against the Jefferson proposal was Gary Palmer, chief executive officer of Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Altoona, a Des Moines suburb. He said, “Reports conclude there are no under-served gaming communities. Iowa would be better served if existing casinos re-invented their facilities and kept their assets upgraded.”
In April, the IRGC denied a license for a proposed $164 million casino in Cedar Rapids. Commissioners said it would cannibalize up to $60 million from other casinos.
And at a recent press conference in Sioux City, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino General Manager Todd Moyer said with about 80 percent of the 58,000 square foot property completed, the $128.5 million development will open at 8:00 p.m., Friday, August 1. The casino and hotel will employ about 500 people, including 130 candidates for table game jobs who began training at Hard Rock’s dealer school.
Inside the 30,000 square foot casino, Hard Rock officials showed off cheetah-patterned carpet imported from Ireland plus the first of 835 slot machines. The neck of an oversized guitar runs the length of the casino floor, which also will offer 26 table games.
The newly constructed casino building is connected to the historic 1906 Battery Building at Third and Water streets. The four-story warehouse, known for its signature clock tower, has been extensively renovated and will include two restaurants and a 54-room hotel. Moyer said Hard Rock will begin taking hotel reservations in early July.
The Argosy Sioux City will close at the end of July as its license was revoked in favor of the Hard Rock development.
