The gambling industry in Iowa, and particularly casinos, are going through a booming expansion, which involves millions of dollars. This expansion has aroused the fears and concerns of gambling critics who firmly oppose the expansion.
It is estimated that in the next 14 months four new riverboat casinos will open and ten existing casino sites will expand. These operations have an estimated cost of 742 million dollars. Gambling opponents expressed their alarm at the growth of gambling in the area, arguing that this increase will affect negatively family life, provoking divorces, suicides and bankruptcies.
The existing riverboat casino and racetrack casinos in Iowa welcome 18 million visitors every year, which gives them revenues of millions of dollars. With the addition of the new casinos, these revenues are expected to grow until 200 million dollars a year. According to gambling experts, the state of Iowa could generate 1,7 billion dollars a year in gambling revenues if casinos are built in all the counties.
