Online Casinos Directory

November 2nd is the date many states are going to get telling signs of whether or not gambling is a positive move for the state. Most states are pushing for some kind of gambling related vote to be included on the ballot. If you are in Iowa the story is no different. Gambling operators within the state are hoping that their casinos will remain in business but it is up to the people to vote for what they want to do. Most likely it won’t happen—the mass vote has not been anti-gambling since way before 1991, when riverboats were first opened in the state. Though the question of gaming seems to be a shoe-in with residents, that doesn’t mean that it won’t appear on the ballot for years to come. In fact, state legislation dictates that it has to be included on the ballot every 8 years to get the public’s view on the issue. So far, the average support for gambling has been 73% and that number is expected to grow even higher as months of campaigning go on.

The question of public perception of gambling has long been a focus of various legislators and organizations. They believe that its legalization is not something that legislators can make a decision on because their main impetus is money. Consider that gambling is a $4 billion business and that means that there is a huge advantage to any state that brings in casinos or legalizes online gambling. Many organizations believe that legislators are blinded by the money available and no longer looking at the true repercussions of approving gaming. There is a downside of crime, corruption, money laundering and addiction that many legislators have not formally addressed and this is creating problems for pro-gambling organizations. Now legislators are looking at the downside of gaming and trying to come up with contingency plans that would change the way cities and states integrate gambling into their economies. It could be a great advantage if managed properly and legislators are now taking a second look at the integration process. They want to utilize the millions of tax revenue dollars on the table, but protect residents at the same time.

Iowa is another state that plans on using gambling as a means of bringing in millions of dollars. The state has regulated gambling law and hopes that what it has will be adequate to protect the gamblers within the state but still bring in millions of projected dollars. Every state had huge deficits to manage and Iowa is no different. The state has a need for millions of dollars and gambling is proving to be a viable solution. If the state can bring in millions, then it can start to chip away at that deficit and begin to build the state coffers up.

One problem with gambling though is that there are outside elements that can influence its money generation. For example, Iowa is having problems right now with weather. The Ames flood within the state is causing some problems for the state’s gambling market. Many people are worried that gambling will suffer in coming weeks due to the overwhelming amount of road damage that is happening as a result of the flooding. Many people have been evacuated from their homes due to the flood levels being at a dangerous level. State legislators are working to keep people safe in the state, but there still is a lot of clean up to manage after the flooding subsides. The problem with gambling is that many people are worried casinos will suffer as a result of the weather.

The problems are bigger than just the flood. Casinos in the state have already been hurt due to a low patronage that has lasted over the previous year. Things have been difficult and casino revenues in the state have been down by 22% as of last count. That is a huge number and now it is going to falling even lower due to the weather issues the state has. Not only are roads causing problems but the aftermath is set to be a problem for the state to manage too. Water has demolished roads and now it is going to take even more efforts to repair them. With roads under construction, casinos are expecting the same kind of low numbers and planning accordingly.

When looking at the state of gambling throughout the US, some states stand out as forerunners in the market. Gambling is a difficult market to move into immediately because there are no former blueprints to follow. Many states are writing the rules as they go in terms of legalization and regulation of online gambling. Some rules have not yet worked, and have already had to be amended and others have worked and are being strengthened in coming years of implementation. Iowa is one state where casino gambling has taken off and it is a state that is still in the midst of debates over the issue despite its success in the industry.

Bob Vander Plaats, gubernatorial candidate, is coming into his campaign with an anti-gambling stance. He has been very adamant about his disdain for the industry. His main criticism is that the state is well on its way to becoming too dependent on gambling for its revenue-generating activities. His fear is that like Las Vegas, Iowa could potentially make a big mistake by relying on gambling. Las Vegas has built itself up as a gambling Mecca over the years, but once the recession happened, the city was hit hard. It relied mostly on gambling and tourism as its almost sole revenues. Now, it is difficult for the state to regroup and it has yet to recover. During the height of the recession, the city’s legislators noted that 60% of homes in the city were either in foreclosure or owners were already defaulting. Vander Plaats main argument is that if Iowa relies on gambling, it will fall into the same problems as Las Vegas did if any type of financial turmoil happens in the market.

It will be a difficult position for Vander Plaats to stand on because much of the benefit of gambling cannot be denied. Expansion of gambling within the state of Ohio could mean that millions of dollars may be brought in. The state, like others in the US, cannot reasonably deny the huge potential dollars that could be available. Thus far the state has benefited from gambling and it will be hard to change public perception of the value of gambling.

The recession was hard on race tracks. Many race tracks are facing major financial difficulties. People cut back on spending and that included betting at race tracks. Many tracks throughout the country have had to file bankruptcy or close down completely to manage. Without some new product, it seems that race tracks may continue to close down. That’s why many are calling for slots integration to bring in new customers and in turn, new revenue. The biggest advantage of slots is that they have proven to be highly lucrative in today’s economy. Even Las Vega touts the benefit of having slots and cites that their slots parlors bring over 60% of their average revenue into the business. Race tracks know this and want to save their own operations with the inclusion of slots. Unfortunately, they need permission to do so. Racing officials will say that allowing racinos at Illinois tracks will make up for revenue lost from the state’s new law permitting poker machines at bars.

Now Iowa is joining in on the fun and the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is making a case for bringing casino licenses to the state. The state was hard hit by the recession and the commission suffered too. Now it wants to take on slots gaming and other forms of gambling to bring in more revenue. The fear is that without some major changes, the racing industry will continue to decline and may even have to start closing down. It is one of those things that is going to take time to regulate. People are first now recovering from the recession and the problems it created for the economy. The unemployment rate is still huge and millions of Americans are without a reliable form of sustenance. That means that discretionary spending is still on the back burner for millions of consumers. Only time will tell how soon people are able to return to their former ways of spending and when they start incorporating gambling back into their list of expenses. For most Americans, wagering is way down on their list of priorities and it will take some time for them to refuel money into spending that they may never recover.

Iowa was almost guaranteed to be the first state to legalize online poker on a state level in the United States. After two weeks of discussions, now it seems that online poker is not going to be a legal form of gambling in the state of Iowa. “It’s abundantly clear we would not have anywhere near the votes for passage of what many considered would be the largest expansion of gambling in the history of the United States of America,” Iowa’s House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told the Des Moines Register newspaper. The legislative session will conclude in two weeks. This puts the state in a unique position. Nevada was formerly pining for being the number one state that was able to manage online gaming successfully. It would make sense- the state has long been the hub of gambling and built its entire market on the one industry. It seems that it is falling behind though. Las Vegas is in the mix, but will be beat out by the small innocuous state of Iowa when it comes to being the first.

Unfortunately, Iowan legislators could not decide on how to move forward with online gambling. They’ve even decided to abandon plans to expand land-based gambling within the state. The debate over online poker has strained the views of politicians to the point that some of them are no longer interested in discussing any form of gambling expansion within the state of Iowa. Three other states have been discussing legal online poker. New Jersey, California, and Florida has been talking about legalizing the activity, while Florida is the only other state to introduce a bill to legalize online poker. It is estimated that Iowa could have brought in at least $11 million in extra revenue each year from online poker. Iowa’s online poker direction leaves Iowans anxiously waiting for the federal government to license and regulate the online poker industry. With this change, Nevada may still have the opportunity to move ahead with its legalization and regulation of online gaming. It may be able to take advantage of gaming and benefit from the huge dollars potentially to be brought in.

Soon a casino decision will be made for Lyon County, Iowa. Supporters gave their final arguments as to why the casino would benefit the area this past week. It’s been a longstanding debate over whether or not the casino should be built. The casino and resort would be constructed in Larchwood. There are also three other counties—Tama, Wapello and Webster—that are also crying for gaming licenses that would allow them to bring gambling in. They petitioned the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission for permission this past month. However, Lyon County Casino CEO Dan Kehl says the three other locations are too close to established Iowa casinos and will drain their revenues. Kehl said, “Lyon County is the last underserved market in the state, as far as bringing 81% of the revenues come from out of state. It has a very minimal impact on any other casino licenses in Iowa.” Kehl says that’s one of many reasons he’s confident the Lyon County casino will go through. He says it’ll not only bring more than 700 new jobs to the area, it will also bring lots of money.

In the first five years, he says the state will collect $95 million in sales taxes and property taxes, while Lyon County will collect $23 million. Even though the state’s casino revenue slumped in 2009, in its first year, the complex, which would also include a hotel, spa, and golf course, is expected to generate a total of $80 million in gaming and non-gaming revenue. Kehl says, “The quality of the facility that we’re building will ensure its success over the long term for good economic times and difficult economic times.” Kehl says the commission seems interested in their proposal, but there are a few more steps before it makes a decision.

On April 14, state officials will visit the Larchwood site. Then, on May 4, casino supporters will be back in Johnston to answer any last questions. May 13 is the final decision.The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission can issue as few or as many licenses as it wants, so it’s possible officials will accept every proposal or reject them all. Only time will tell what happens with the initiative, but the two sides are staunchly facing off.

A Senate subcommittee in Iowa has now passed a bill that would bring legalized sports gambling in the state. While it may be a long shot for the Bill to get all the way through the legislature, it paves the way for further discussion on the issue. Lawmakers around the country are looking for ways to stave off their major budget deficits. The recession left the state’s budget in a horrible condition and now, it needs to find a way to recoup. Press surrounding states like Delaware, which approved legislation last year to allow sports betting in their state is just the type of news sure to grab the attention of legislators in cash strapped states. Enter Iowa.  The State Senate gets the next pass at the bill to legalize sports gambling, and will begin to debate the issue.  Legalized sports gambling is one of several different gambling options that have been proposed by lawmakers recently in hopes of cutting their budget deficit.

However, should the law pass in the Iowa state legislature, the federal government might step in to intervene.  In 1992, Congress banned sports betting across the US.  Four states that previously had laws at the time allowing sports betting were excluded from the federal law.  These states were Delaware, Oregon, Montana, and Nevada. Now things are different though. Now legislators are looking to bring in as much revenue as they can to overcome the huge deficits they are under. Gambling is lucrative and has proven to have the power to bring in millions of dollars worldwide. The state of Delaware, however, has experiences some resistance from the NFL and other sports leagues and franchises when they enacted their sports betting laws.  The NFL entered a legal battle that the sports leagues won, leaving Delaware to only be allowed to parlay bets, not single game wagers. Some lawmakers in Iowa believe that the state already has enough gambling options, citing the seventeen casinos that currently operate in the state. Like other states, legislators are torn on the issue and have yet to make a formal decision as to what will happen. Only time will tell how far the issues goes and if it will be allowed to bring in tax-revenue dollars.