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Ottumwa Makes its Bid for Casino

OTTUMWA, Iowa – As reported by the Ottumwa Courier: "Entrepreneur Gary Kirke isn't getting excited yet, there's too much work to do. He says he'll get excited later, after Ottumwa receives a casino license. It's hard to bet against Kirke. In a climate where most new businesses fail, Kirke repeatedly built winners.

"Two governors turned to him for advice on economic development.

"Now, Wild Rose Entertainment, Kirke's latest venture, is poised to enter the casino business. Ottumwa is a key location.

"Kirke is not sure how many licenses will come out of the 10 applications statewide and he won't guess.

"…Most counties from the area support Ottumwa's bid. Jamie Built, spokesperson for Wild Rose, said the company is not that worried about Jefferson County's decision not to formally support the Ottumwa bid.

"The supervisors as well as the Fairfield City Council voted against a letter of support recently.

"…The evolution of Ottumwa's bid was far different from that of any of the other applicants. In most cases, the referendum on gambling took place after an operator was signed on for the project. The operator paid part of the costs for the election and the campaign.

"That didn't happen here. The referendum took nearly everyone by surprise. No casino company was involved. The vote was in prior to any corporate involvement.

"In fact, the lobbying at the statehouse for new licenses took place before any operator was signed on for Ottumwa. Siegel said the conventional wisdom at that time was that Ottumwa was botching the process, that no city had a shot if it was moving ahead without an operator…"

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