Between 2012 and 2014, Iowa’s 19 casinos in 15 counties posted a $77.8 million drop in revenue. Among them was Wild Rose Casino and Resorts with locations in Emmetsburg, Jefferson and Clinton, Iowa. The Clinton location experienced a $3 million decline in 2013, from $40.2 million to $37.5 million, said General Manager Steve Nauman. He blamed the decrease on the introduction of video gaming in Illinois—in particular, on the six video gambling establishments that have opened across the Mississippi River bridge in Fulton.
Adjusted gross revenue rose to $32.8 million in 2014 and reached slightly above $42 million in 2016. Nauman said Wild Rose posted another small revenue drop in 2017, probably due to the Isle of Capri in Bettendorf and Rhythm City Casino in Davenport moving from riverboats to land. “We’ve had months ahead for the year before and months down from the year. We’re holding our own,” Nauman said.
Now, he believes the customer base is leveling off, since Wild Rose became the first Iowa casino to offer off-track parimutuel betting in spring 2017.
Wild Rose in Clinton draws visitors from about a 60-mile radius. Clinton is the smallest casino host city in Iowa, with a population of 25,719. The casino’s square footage also is the smallest of the state’s casinos, with 12 table games and 554 slots in a 19,681 square foot space. But its payback percentage, 90.7 percent, ranks third in the state. “The casino business is about loyalty. I can call customers by name, that’s important,” Nauman said.
Under state law, casinos must give at least an average of 3 percent of adjusted gross receipts to qualified sponsoring organizations. Wild Rose gives 1.3 percent more than the state requires to the Clinton County Development Association, which gives the funds in grant cycles to groups or projects involved in economic development. In 2016, Wild Rose contributed $1.6 million to charitable funding. CCDA Administrator Jennifer Gutierrez said Wild Rose gave about $1.2 million in 2017 and probably will give the same amount in 2018. “That money goes right back into the community,” Nauman said.
