Meskwaki tribe raises concerns with over-saturation of gaming market

Members of the Meskwaki tribe and the promoters of a casino proposed to be built near their Meskwaki Bingo-Casino-Hotel disagreed Wednesday on the effects two casinos six miles apart might have on each other.

During an Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission visit to the site of the proposed Prairie Hills Resort and Casino on Tama's northeast side, the Meskwaki Tribal Council presented a letter cautioning the commissioners against approving a state license for the facility.

The Tribal Council expressed concern about “the potential over-saturation of the Iowa gaming market” and warned that granting the license could have “an adverse impact on existing casinos on our settlement and in Waterloo.”

John Pavone of Sioux City, president of Signature Management Group, the casino developer, said he thinks the casinos will benefit each other.

“If guests don't feel lucky in one, they'll go to the other,” he said.

Pavone said the two casinos will make Tama County a more attractive tourist destination.

“If our plan was to take business away from the Meskwakis, we would fail,” he said.

The commissioners, who viewed the 146-acre tract through the windows of a mini-bus, made no comments about the presentation.

Toledo Mayor Pamela Wood, a self-described gambler, put the odds of commission approval at 60-40 in favor.

Gov. Chet Culver's recently declared support for the license seekers has to be considered a plus, she said.

Both she and Tama Mayor Chris Bearden said Tama County would benefit from jobs and tax revenue generated by the Prairie Hills casino, which would be built on a hill overlooking the east Tama interchange of the U.S. Highway 30 expressway route to be completed later this year.

The commissioners on Wednesday also visited proposed casino sites in Fort Dodge and Ottumwa, and they plan to visit the site of the fourth gambling license applicant in northwest Iowa's Lyon County on April 14.

The commission plans to hold a public hearing and questioning of the casino license applicants on May 4 in Johnston, with a final decision expected May 13.

Iowa has 17 state-licensed casinos and two Indian casinos.