Newly Expanded Meskwaki Bingo-Casino-Hotel Already Busy
The Meskwaki Bingo- Casino-Hotel is already a hub of activity in its opening after the expansion. Every day, after 12 months of construction, more than 5,000 customers visit the casino, one of the most successful in the state.
"It's been a fairly long process," said Larry Lasley, the tribe's executive director. "There's a lot of thought and direction put into the design and it certainly is a relief to get to this point and to see how it's turned out. I think it's turned out pretty well."
Lasley said the next project will be to renovate the existing casino. Its unclear what other amenities may be added.
The expansion has doubled the number of hotel rooms to 404, upped the amount of slot machines to 1,750 and added a large entertainment hall capable of holding 1,000 people
The casino is facing competition from new facilities like a proposed $118 million casino in Waterloo operated by Isle of Capri, slated to open next fall, and the $107 million Riverside Casino and Golf Resort in Washington County, expected to open in September.
The casino is also the largest employer in the county, with a staff of more than 1,100 people and a payroll of more than $30 million, said Deb Callum-Calderwood, executive director for the Tama County Econimic Development Commission.
In the next few months, another 200 to 300 worker could be hired. Callum-Calderwood said those workers, like many currently employed at the casino, could be pulled from a 60-mile radius around Tama.