Cedar Rapids Casino Secures Key Ruling, $275 Million Project Details Opening
Posted on: June 19, 2025, 12:07h.
Last updated on: June 19, 2025, 12:20h.
- An Iowa judge has ruled that a 2021 gaming referendum in Linn County was valid
- The ruling is key to Cedar Crossing Casino continuing construction
- The casino is slated to open by the end of 20026
Cedar Crossing Casino & Entertainment Center, a $275 million gaming destination under construction in Iowa’s Cedar Crossing, has won a critical court decision.
This week, Judge Michael Schilling in Iowa’s Eighth Judicial District ruled that a petition challenging the validity of a local 2021 gaming referendum in Linn County that permanently authorized the operation of slot machines, live-dealer table games, and sports betting within the county was meritless. Schilling, who in March denied a temporary hold petition from Elite Casino Resorts and its Riverside & Golf Resort, doubled down this week on his opinion that the 2021 referendum justly legalized gambling games in Linn County.
The court concludes that the decision to grant a gambling license for a Linn County casino … cannot be fairly characterized as an erroneous interpretation of law,” Schilling wrote.
Attorneys with Elite and Riverside, the casino that stands to be most impacted by a casino in Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s second most populated city, argued that the wording of the 2021 referendum didn’t authorize new forms of gambling. The plaintiffs claimed that the ballot language that asked county voters if the “operation of gambling games with no wager or loss limits may continue” only extended current gaming operations. Since Linn County has never been home to a legal casino, the referendum essentially accomplished nothing, they contended unsuccessfully.
Casino Construction Carries On
Local officials and businesspeople in Cedar Rapids have for many years been seeking to bring a casino to town. The Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission (IRGC) twice denied casino applications for Cedar Rapids, in 2014 and 2017, on market saturation concerns.
Iowa lawmakers subsequently passed legislation that barred the IRGC from issuing additional gaming concessions. That moratorium expired on July 1, 2024.
With new IRGC members, the tide finally turned in Cedar Rapids’ favor. In February, the IRGC granted Cedar Crossing Casino & Entertainment Center a gaming license, which cleared the way for the developers behind the project to begin construction.
Cedar Crossing comes from a group of roughly 80 local businesspeople operating as the Cedar Rapids Development Group in a partnership with Los Angeles-based gaming operator Peninsula Pacific Entertainment. The consortium has pledged to direct 8% of its annual gross gaming revenue to its charitable arm, the Linn County Gaming Association, the highest rate of any casino in the state and more than double the state-mandated 3% threshold.
Cedar Crossing Details
Cedar Crossing Casino & Entertainment Center is to have 700 slots, 22 table games, and a sportsbook. Three restaurants, a 1,500-seat concert venue, an arts and cultural center, and a separate STEM lab are among its non-gaming amenities.
Iowa native Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters and 2015 Open Championship winner, is lending his name to a sports bar and restaurant at the casino.
Casino officials told state gaming regulators this week that Cedar Crossing should open by the end of 2026.
Marquette Advisors and The Innovation Group, two independent gaming research firms contracted by the IRGC, determined that a casino in Cedar Rapids will poach play and business from Riverside.
Marquette forecasts that Cedar Crossing will lead to a loss of $34 million in Riverside gaming revenue for the fiscal year 2029. Innovation used the 2028 fiscal year, issuing a negative Riverside casino impact of $28.9 million.
Last Comments ( 6 )
They should put bingo into the casino ti have somewhere better to play then these churches. I like the churches dont get me wrong but the people that go there can be rude and the churches have been getting full
While some sources mention poker alongside the other table games, it's important to note: One online discussion from February 2025 indicated a possibility of no poker initially. A Change.org petition was started in February 2025 advocating for a poker room at the casino. Nearby Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, which stands to be impacted by the new Cedar Rapids casino, does have a dedicated poker room with 10 tables. It's possible that Cedar River Crossing may offer some form of poker within their table games area, but a dedicated poker room has not been confirmed, and there seems to be a desire within the community for one
WAIT A MINUTE! IT APPEARS THERE WILL NOT BE A POKER ROOM. SOMEONE PLEASE INFORM ME! IF NOT, THAT IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. THAT'S WHAT I PLAY!: HUGE MUSTAKE. VERY, VERY UPSET! SO MUCH FOR ME GOING. TYPICAL. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED NIW!
Yes! As do many of us, I do not own a car, I was pretty much unable to go to Casinos. Going all the way to Riverside was a pain in the ... and expensive! My trusty bicycle will get me to our new beautifull casino just fine. It will bring so many people to our magnificent city and the resulting impact on our businesses just a stones throw away will be great! My 2nd home will be the poker tables. Cannot wait to accept donations from my competition. Great job Cedarapidians for fighting for this! Peace.
Finally, good bye riverside
This is great news for our city. ♥️ The Riverside Casino was objecting to wording on a ballot because they had no other recourse. They just don’t want the competition. They must think everybody in CR goes to their casino. Wrong! Not after they’ve tried to keep us out. We’ll support our casino because the monies will stay local.