A vote on a casino license for Cedar Rapids is scheduled in 13 days. Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission chair Daryl Olsen of Audubon says they’ve gotten a lot of information, and it will help them decide how to vote.

“As commissioners, we’re committed to review all the information that we have and then try to make the best decision we possibly can,” Olsen says. The Commission received more information at their meeting Thursday as they heard from the two groups that did studies on the Iowa gambling market. Olsen says there isn’t one issue he’ll focus on.”Nope, nope. We got to look at everything. It’s our job to look at every piece, all the other criteria that’s laid out in front of us, we have to look at it all,” Olsen says. And so I think it’s our job to do that, and every commissioner will look at it different. That’s the beauty of having a five member commission.”

A couple of bills in the Iowa Legislature could put another moratorium on new licenses before the commissioners have a chance to vote. Olsen says that’s the way things work and they will continue with the process until something changes. “We regulate, they legislate. So our job is to regulate, and we’ll continue to regulate,” he says.

Commissioners are set to vote on a license for the proposed Cedar Rapids casino on February 6th.

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