A district court ruling will allow work to continue on the new land-based casino in Sioux City, but legal issues there are far from over. The ruling overturned an earlier court ruling that put a stay on the license for the new casino at the request of Penn National Gaming, operators of the riverboat casino. Iowa’s Racing and Gaming Commission appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court, which ordered a review of the stay that resulted in the latest ruling. Racing and Gaming administrator Brian Ohorilko welcomed the ruling.
Polk County District Court Judge Eliza Ovrum ruled that although the operators of the Sioux City Belle will suffer irreparable harm, they would not likely succeed on the merits of their legal claims.
Ohorilko says there’s still more legal action that will be heard at the panel’s March meeting.
The new land-based Hard Rock Casino is scheduled to be completed by the fall.
