Letter: Cedar Rapids does not need a casino

There are three casinos within a 60-mile radius of Cedar Rapids, all accessible by a four-lane highway. Another casino in the area would saturate that type of venue in the area and all would suffer. I am sure there are no objections to people outside of Linn County spending their dollars in Linn County; yet, some obviously feel it is not necessary to reciprocate.

Last summer, Coralville announced plans to construct a sports arena. In the June 18, 2016 Gazette, Sharon Cummins, executive director for VenuWorks, which operates the U.S. Cellular Center arena and three other Cedar Rapids-owned venues, said another arena would add competition in a limited market. 'Their philosophy is there's enough for everyone. That's surely not the case in the entertainment industry,” Cummins said. 'Competition really does impact overall programing.” ('Coralville gets long-awaited $12 million for arena”). A casino would certainly fit into the entertainment industry, as well. Linn County has many resources to enable them to thrive as a community. They need to focus on attracting people from outside Linn County to support those venues and, likewise, be willing to support their neighboring counties.

Ken Wulf

Washington