Seventy-percent of the registered voters in far northwest Iowa’s Lyon County turned out Tuesday for a referendum to allow gambling in the county. Just over 3,700 of the 6,000 voters said yes to the gambling referendum.

The approval opens the way for a proposed $90-million golf resort and casino.  The resort would be built on 127 acres near Larchwood on the Iowa-South Dakota border.

Backers say it would provide hundreds of new jobs and increase tax revenue for the county. The casino would include 24 tables and 800 slot machines, along with a convention center, two restaurants and a hotel. Opening may come in 2011, if the project gets a gambling license from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.