Iowa Gaming Association graphic.
The counties in Iowa that are not home to a state-licensed casino still received some of the gambling revenue again this year through the County Endowment program.
Iowa Gaming Association CEO Wes Ehrecke says foundations in these 84 counties receive eight-tenths of one percent of the gambling tax. “So this past year is $160,000 to each of those non-casino counties,” Ehrecke says. “They have to put 25% in a permanent endowment the rest can be provided grants anyway they feel. Each have a separate board of directors for each county.”
He says the program was started in 2004. ” Thirty-five-thousand grants and 136 million dollars since the inception of this program to the qualified community foundations in the non-casino counties. And just in this past year was 18-hundred and 38 grants and $10.7 million was provided out,” Ehrecke says.
The 15 counties which have casinos have non-profits that hold the gambling license and they each are required by law to distribute a percentage of the gambling funds throughout their counties.
You can see the full details on how much grant money each of the 99 counties receives here.