Mason City man wants to bring casino to town

A Mason City businessman is trying to rally support to bring a casino to Cerro Gordo County. Despite a statewide moratorium on new gambling licenses, Tom Jolas believes the Iowa Racing and Gaming Association will lift it because there is interest from counties all over Iowa in building casinos. Linn, Polk, Dickinson and Worth Counties have all expressed interest in building casinos. Jolas says right now, a casino can be another means for economic development. The average Iowa casino employs around 725 people with an average salary of 30-thousand dollars a year. Jolas says Iowa’s newest casino is an example of the type of economic development that could happen if another gaming license is approved. He says Osceola is a town of 4,700 people and they attract almost one million people. He say is they moved the Minnesota Vikings or the Twins to Mason City, they’d have to build a new stadium, and still wouldn’t attract one million people. Jolas has presented the information to the Mason City City Council and the Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors, and plans on meeting with them again soon.