A proposed five-year moratorium on new state-licensed casinos in Iowa will not be passed into law, a key legislator said Tuesday, clearing the way for state regulators to decide later this week on a proposal for a new casino in Cedar Rapids.
Iowa Sen. Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Oskaloosa, announced Thursday afternoon that House File 144, which would have prohibited any new state casino licenses for at least five years, will not advance in the Iowa Senate this year.
The proposal passed the Iowa House last week, just as it also did at the end of the 2023 legislative session. But in both cases, the proposal died in the Senate.
