The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission recently announced it will not reconsider its decision last month denying a license renewal to the Argosy Sioux City riverboat casino and requiring it to close by July 1. Argosy owner Penn National Gaming had requested that the IRGC reverse its decision, but the commission did not call a special meeting to act upon the request within the 20-day rehearing period. Penn National officials had said the IRGC’s decision not to renew the Argosy’s gaming license was a “complete and utter sham.”
Penn National spokeswoman Karen Bailey said the company “will continue our efforts to remedy these matters through the courts.” Penn officials said the company will ask a judge to suspend the IRGC’s order. That would allow the Argosy to remain open while the company pursues various legal challenges. The casino’s 300-plus employees previously received layoff notices.
The commission’s refusal to reconsider its decision dates back to 2012 when Argosy Sioux City and its nonprofit gaming partner, Missouri River Historical Development, broke off contract talks. The IRGC, which wanted the riverboat replaced with a land-based casino, said it could not renew Argosy’s license because MRHD refused to sign off on the application in December 2012. MRHD ultimately became the nonprofit partner of Sioux City Entertainment, developers of the $128.5 million Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in downtown Sioux City, which was granted a license by the IRGC in April 2013 and will open this summer. The IRGC has allowed the Argosy riverboat to remain open without a license under “operation of law.”
Meanwhile Penn National announced Argosy Sioux City’s General Manager Lance George has been named general manager at the new Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, Massachusetts, scheduled to open in 2015.
