(Radio Iowa) - A five-year moratorium on new casinos in Iowa easily passed the Iowa House this afternoon and the same proposal has been approved by a committee in the Senate.
If the bill becomes law by next Thursday morning, it will block state regulators from taking a vote on the application for a new casino in Cedar Rapids. Representative Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton, says the moratorium is warranted due to recent studies suggesting a Cedar Rapids casino would draw customers -- and revenue -- from currently operating casinos.
Representative Sami Scheetz, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says the legislature should let the Racing and Gaming Commission make the call rather than try to protect existing casino operators.