Legislators move against gambling expansion

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Friday, Feb. 27, 2004 | 11:03 a.m.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The House dashed the hopes of five counties seeking to add riverboats with passage of a bill Thursday that mandates no new gambling licenses in the state.

The bill freezes the number of gambling licenses at the current level, a move that upset those in areas of the state that have passed referendums for riverboat casinos.

"We're really pretty disappointed," said Steve Heldt, community developer for the Palo Alto County Economic Development Corp. "We were hoping that those of us seeking a new license would have the opportunity to bring 350 new jobs to the area."

He said the Emmetsburg area was looking at a riverboat casino as a chance to create a tourist attraction which would provide revenue to boost the local economy.