Iowa Looks to Utilize Casino to Cover Airport Expansion

Iowa is well-known for its Des Moines International Airport which has slowly become one of the most used facilities in the area. The traffic throughout the state is increasing all the time which alerts Airport Authority to look for expansion. The new airport terminal will reduce congestion in the state and be beneficial overall. It is yet to be seen who will cover the costs of the construction. According to some speculations, the casino resort in the airport area could finance the expansion.

More About Plans

The brand-new terminal will require $500 million for further expansion. It would bring a prosperous future for the whole area and boost the city economically. The potential solution for airport expansion has been seen in the construction of the casino and hotel at the airport worth about $225-million. The plan has been presented by the Highview Development Group (HDG) which stands behind Wild Rose Entertainment.

Wild Rose’s is important because it already leads to three gambling venues in the state. On this occasion, the company issued the following statement:

“It should be noted that Wild Rose is not the first nor the only casino organization approached by Mr. Sinah [sic] and his Highview consortium. The company s and is part of his efforts to put forth a creative solution to generate a long-term, continuous funding stream for the airport’s much-needed improvements.”

Situation in Iowa

At the moment, Iowa includes twenty-three gambling venues including seventeen commercial casinos, two racinos, and four tribal venues. According to the Highview Development Group plan, airport-located property would involve a 350-room hotel connected to the airport via a skywalk, a restaurant, a rock garden and wedding, banquet and conference facilities.

The final word should be given by Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. However, the Authority hasn’t been enthusiastic about gambling expansion over the previous period. It dropped the proposals submitted for the casino in Cedar Rapids. It happened in 2014 and 2017 when the Authority considered the gambling market saturated.

According to the beliefs of HDG head Reggie Sinha, a new casino project would bring $85 million per year. However, nobody can guarantee that the property will bring such revenues. The latest trend in the online casinos and younger generations which prefer using smartphones and tablets rather than visiting physical venues. The same has been observed by the owner of Consumer Credit of Des Moines counseling agency, Tom Coates:

“Brick-and-mortar casinos are on their way out. Older people may want to sit at slot machines all day, but younger people want to gamble from their phones. The casino is not going to be the draw they think it is long term.”

Source:

“Iowa might use a casino to pay for airport expansion“, Erik Gibbs, calvinayre.com, January 16, 2020.