Iowa’s on-line on line casino panorama may even see a shift in priorities, as State Representative Bobby Kaufmann, the driving pressure behind iGaming laws over the previous two years, introduced that he’s unlikely to introduce new on-line on line casino payments in 2025. Although Kaufmann’s most up-to-date try and advance on-line gaming, HSB 227, stalled in committee throughout Iowa’s final legislative session, he stays supportive of others who could take up the trigger.
Kaufmann, who now not serves because the chair of the State Government Committee, expressed to Casino Reports that his present position doesn’t place him as the best lawmaker to sponsor new iGaming laws. “Since I am no longer State Government [Committee]
chair, it really isn’t my role to introduce gaming study bills anymore,” Kaufmann defined. “I could individually sponsor — and would — but it wouldn’t have the potency of a study bill.”
In Iowa, research payments proposed by committee chairs, the governor, or state businesses go on to the committee, bypassing a step within the legislative course of. On the opposite hand, common payments could by no means see committee motion after being filed by a lawmaker, decreasing their possibilities of progressing by the legislature.
Kaufmann now chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, the place he may nonetheless affect the trajectory of iGaming laws. He indicated his readiness to assist any potential on-line on line casino payments that may route by his committee. “I can tell you if iGaming makes it to Ways and Means,” Kaufmann instructed Casino Reports, “I will be supportive.”
Retail Casinos Take Center Stage
While on-line casinos have been placed on the again burner, the main target in Iowa’s playing sector has shifted to retail casinos, notably in mild of the expiration of a two-year moratorium on new on line casino growth on July 1. The highlight is now on Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s second-largest metropolis, the place plans for a $250 million on line casino, Cedar Crossing Casino, are underway. The Linn County Gaming Association has partnered with Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E) to push the project forward close to downtown Cedar Rapids.
This isn’t the primary time the Cedar Crossing Casino proposal has surfaced. In 2022, the identical group tried to convey the challenge to life, however the statewide moratorium halted their efforts. With the moratorium lifted, proponents at the moment are in a race in opposition to time to safe approval from the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission (IRGC) earlier than one other potential moratorium is launched.
Ironically, Kaufmann, whereas supporting the Cedar Rapids on line casino challenge, has voiced considerations concerning the broader affect of recent casinos on the state’s gaming business. “I do not have an issue with a casino in Linn County,” Kaufmann said. “I have issues with any new casino cannibalizing the industry.”
Upcoming Legislative Session
The upcoming Iowa legislative session, set to start on January 13, 2025, could possibly be pivotal for the way forward for each on-line and retail casinos within the state. The IRGC is scheduled to vote on the Cedar Crossing Casino challenge on February 6, elevating the urgent query: Could Kaufmann and different lawmakers push by a brand new moratorium earlier than the vote takes place?
As the dynamics of Iowa’s gambling landscape proceed to evolve, Kaufmann’s affect stays vital, even when his position has shifted. While the momentum for iGaming laws could have cooled, the dialog is much from over, and new developments may emerge because the legislative session unfolds.
Source:
Iowa’s Biggest iGaming Advocate Doesn’t Plan To File Bill In 2025, casinoreports.com, August 30, 2024.
