Linn County Supervisors Support Effort to Build Cedar Rapids Casino

The Linn County Supervisors are backing an effort to support a plan to acquire a gaming license, which may lead to a Cedar Rapids casino.

Supervisors unanimously passed a memorandum of understanding with the Linn County Gaming Association, which is a non-profit, and the Cedar Rapids Development Group, which is a private company, to support their gaming license bid.

Linn County Supervisor Brent Oleson, of Marion, was appointed to the board of the Linn County Gaming Association. The move was "unusual, but not unprecedented," the Gazette reported citing Brian Ohorilko, administrator of the Racing and Gaming Commission.

State law prescribes a non-profit organization is held responsible for holding a gaming license and hiring a for-profit company to run the casino.

A similar memorandum will be brought before the Cedar Rapids City Council Tuesday.

Just last month, a casino was proposed in Urbandale, but the request was withdrawn.