DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The owner of the Argosy riverboat casino in Sioux City has asked a state judge to stop construction on a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in downtown Sioux City. The Sioux City Journal reports that attorneys for Argosy parent Penn National Gaming Co. filed the motion in Polk County District Court on Monday. Penn is seeking to stop the construction until its lawsuit against the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission over the commission’s selection process for the new casino is resolved.

Work began in July on the $128.5 million Hard Rock casino. Last month, state regulators denied the Argosy’s request to renew its state gambling license. But the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission did not set a closing date for the floating casino.