A five-year moratorium on new state-licensed casinos easily passed the Iowa House last week, but Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair suggests its chances in the Senate are far different.
“Honestly, I’d say the prospect of a moratorium is basically a jump ball in the Senate,” she said. “…I don’t know. I’ve tried to do a soft vote count. I can’t honestly tell you where the Senate will land.”
Sinclair indicates a provision tucked in the bill that makes the moratorium retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year means there’s no rush to approve the bill before Feb. 6. That’s when the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is scheduled to decide whether to grant a state license for a casino in Cedar Rapids.
The Senate Local Government Committee passed its own version of a casino moratorium last week, but Sinclair said that bill also will be referred to the State Government Committee. The pace will allow for an important “philosophical conversation,” Sinclair said.
“The question is: Should we allow those established boards and commissions to do the job they were appointed to do or do we not?”