Iowa’s Hope for Slot Machines Slim

There are several Iowa cities that are looking to bring in slot machines to their state. However, lawmakers are not looking to give them the slot machines, so they are looking to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission instead. They think that they stand a better chance of being approved for the slot machines through them instead of the legislature since they regulate licenses anyway.

Ottumwa, Fort Dodge and Tama are all interested in slot machine licenses for riverboat casinos. "At this point, we are going to follow the commission's lead. We feel that the Legislature has already spoken to this issue," said John Pavone, president of Signature Management Group, which is working with Tama County officials on plans for a Tama-area slot machine casino.

The Ottumwa group that is trying for the slot machine casino has Wapello County Supervisor Steve Siegel helping them. He says that if new slot machine licenses are issue, Ottumwa and Fort Dodge should be the recipients – per Governor-elect Chet Culver.  Culver has already said that he is leaning their way and they hope that state gambling regulators will see it the same way when deciding who will get the next slot license.

The gaming association will be meeting on March 1^st to discuss issuing additional slot machine licenses, but as they just awarded four new slot machine licenses last year – they probably have a wait ahead of them. Chairwoman Kate Cutler of Council Bluffs said that they have to see how the other slot machine casinos are faring.

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