By Dar Danielson (Radio Iowa)

Several changes are in the works in this new year for Iowa’s casino industry, including more casinos leaving the water for land.

Racing and Gaming Administrator Tina Eick says things have moved right along and the new casino in Cedar Rapids should open in December of this year.  “Certainly a long ways to go, but we’re also 12 months out, and so from our perspective at this point in time, making good progress and have every reason to believe that they will be hitting the commissions expectations for opening on time,” she says.

The Racing and Gaming Commission recently approved the purchase of the Catfish Bend Casino in Burlington by Elite Casino Resorts and Eick says that  transaction will close at the end of January. Elite Casinos also owns the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort in Riverside, the Rhythm City Casino Resort in Davenport, and Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort in Larchwood. They plan to rename Catfish Bend as the Great River Casino Resort.

The Casino Queen in Marquette was purchased last year by Ballys, and Eick says they are making a change to the state’s smallest casino. “They’re actually in the process of moving their boat operations into a land side facility. And that construction, the licensee is telling us is on track to be completed by March of 2026,” she says.

Eick says another casino boat will also be going away this year. “Casino Queen is a boat, Ameristar is still a boat and Lakeside is considered a moored barge. And those are the last three that are currently over water,” she says. “And Ameristar, they’re going to start a major construction project in about the first quarter, maybe the beginning of the second quarter of 2026 to move that facility to a land site facility as well.”

Casinos were only allowed on riverboats when the law was first enacted, and those boats had to take cruises on the water. That has slowly changed through the years, leading to boats being replaced by land-based casinos.