Iowa Voters Reject Casino Referendum
Jasper County, Iowa resoundingly rejected a proposed casino Tuesday by voting down a referndum. Voters turned down the proposal by almost a 2 to 1 ratio.
Despite predictions that the heavily debated referendum would draw record crowds of voters, turnout was only 26% of the registered electorate. The vote tally read 4252 against, 2614 for, with hundreds of the ballots coming by way of absentee vote.
Supporters of the bill were in favor of building a Jasper hotel and casino which would have provided 600 new permanent jobs. The area has had economic difficulties since the closing of the Maytag appliance factory.
However, even if Jasper residents had approved, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission voted last month to not issue new licenses for the time being. Of course, construction and development would take some months, allowing the Commission ample time to start approving licenses again, and there would be pressure to help alleviate Jasper's unemployment problem.
Dennis Julius, chairman of the Jasper County Gaming Development Authority, noted that, now that the casino plan is dead, he would like to see anti-gambling factions reveal their plan for economic resurgence.
