The governor has signed legislation that makes it legal for Iowa casinos to take bets on horse and dog races that are being run in foreign countries as well as in the United States. Iowa casinos have featured live broadcasts of races outside the US for years, but in December state regulators … [Read more...]
Renovations approved for Lakeside Casino in Osceola
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission recently approved a remodeling project for the Lakeside Casino near Osceola. Racing and Gaming administrator, Brian Ohorillko says it's a two-million-dollar project. "Lakeside will be converting their gift shop to a coffee shop. They are going to be doing … [Read more...]
Survey planned on the impact of gambling in Iowa
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has received proposals from four companies to conduct a socio-economic study of the gambling industry. Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilko, says it will be a two-part study. "This is a study that will look at socio-economic behavior, specifically … [Read more...]
Two lottery games adding more weekly drawings
The Powerball and Lucky for Life games are adding more drawings later this year. Iowa Lottery spokesperson, Mary Neubauer, says Powerball is going to add a Monday drawing along with the Wednesday and Saturday drawings -- while the Lucky For Life game will move from two drawings to a drawing every … [Read more...]
Legislature setting new wage policy for casinos
The policy on hourly pay for workers at state-licensed casinos may soon change. Under current law, casino workers paid by the hour must earn at least 125% of the federal minimum wage. That's $9.06 an hour today. A provision in a bill that cleared the legislature Wednesday night makes that $9.06 … [Read more...]
Waterloo man wins big lottery jackpot
A Waterloo man is a millionaire after winning the second-largest Powerball prize of the year. Anton Garrett bought five plays on one ticket for Saturday evening’s Powerball drawing and ended up winning over two million dollars. Garrett corrected picked the first five numbers but missed the … [Read more...]
Racing and Gaming issues finds to casino, sports betting company
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approved fines Thursday for three different violations. Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilko says the Diamond Jo Worth casino was fined for a violation of the self-gambling ban. He says the first and last name of an individual was transposed and … [Read more...]
The itch for pandemic entertainment leads to increased scratch ticket sales
The Iowa Lottery has regained momentum and more from sales lost during the height of the pandemic last year. Lottery spokesperson, Mary Neubauer, says this fiscal year is already well past expectations "Sales are nearly 25 percent ahead of what we had budgeted," Neubauer says. The fiscal year … [Read more...]
Help is available for problem gamblers
March is "Problem Gambling Awareness" month and the head of Iowa's treatment program says they are trying to let everyone know that things don't have to get out of control. Eric Pruess says that's why they have started their "Be Number One at Getting Help" campaign. "To help those who might not … [Read more...]
Sports betting tops $100 million mark again in February
The money bet on sports in Iowa continues to remain strong as more companies get approved to take wagers. Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission administrator Brian Ohorilko says the betting -- or handle -- kept pace in February despite the shorter month. "We had handle just short of 150 million … [Read more...]