(Radio Iowa) – Early Saturday morning, the Iowa House overwhelmingly voted to extend a moratorium on new casinos in Iowa until 2029, but the Iowa Senate adjourned for the year without voting on the measure. The current moratorium will expire July 1st. Representative Sami Scheetz, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says the proposed rules would have effectively blocked Cedar Rapids from getting a casino license.

“It’s not the right or the prerogative of the legislature to deny the second largest city in our state and its voters, citizens the right to have a casino operation,” Scheetz said. Representative Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton, says lawmakers, not state gambling regulators, should set the policy. “I think it fits in perfectly with our role,” Kaufmann says. “I think this fits in perfectly with making sure the Racing and Gaming Commission can do their job.”

Kaufmann says the commission has vague rules for considering casino license applications.