The administrator of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission says a hardware problem was the cause of a shutdown of the gaming floor this past weekend at the Hard Rock Casino in Sioux City.
Administrator Brian Ohorilko says the problem Saturday afternoon shut down the casino’s surveillance system and the casino immediately informed the IRGC.
“Administrative rules do require that alternative measures be set up and that the DCI be made aware of any issues. And unfortunately, those alternative measures were unable to be set up right away,” Ohorilko says. Customers were asked to leave the gaming floor once the issue was discovered. The slot machines and table games were put back into operation Sunday after being down for around 12 hours.
“We do not suspect that there was anything nefarious, and that it was simply a hardware malfunction,” Ohorilko says. “Obviously the facility will be looking into that.” Ohorilko says the Hard Rock staff did a good job of handling the problem, and it was unfortunate the shut down came during a busy time. The Hard Rock’s hotel and restaurants stayed open during the time the gambling was shut down.
(Reporting by Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City)