Opening on June 1, 1985, Dubuque Greyhound Park became the nation’s
first nonprofit greyhound track. The facility is owned by the City of
Dubuque and is run under the guidance of the Dubuque Racing Association, a
volunteer board comprised of 21 directors. Profits from the race track go
to the City and area charitable organizations, and pari-mutuel and gaming
taxes provide revenue for the city, county, and state. The following is a
brief history and description of Iowa’s first pari-mutuel race track.
In 1984, the Iowa State Legislature passed the Pari-mutuel Wagering
Act, a bill that opened Iowa to greyhound and horse racing. At the same
time that the legislation was being discussed in Des Moines, a Dubuque
group formed to assess the potential for a racetrack in the community.
Originating as a part of the Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitors
Bureau, the group soon became independent and incorporated as the Dubuque
Racing Association, Ltd. With its membership designed to include persons
representing a broad base of local interest, the organization drafted
bylaws that mandated a nonprofit status, and included a rule to ensure
that no member would receive compensation or personal benefit from the
development of a racetrack.
After the group completed an extensive feasibility study, the prospect
of a greyhound racetrack in Dubuque was taken to the voters. An April 1984
referendum asked the citizenry to approve a $7.9-million
general-obligation bond to be used as the major source of funding for the
racetrack. The general-obligation bond would place the burden of the
responsibility for the track’s success upon the citizens themselves. A
successful track would mean a new source of city revenue; a failure would
ensure an automatic increase in property taxes. It was a gamble that
Dubuque was ready to take, knowing that the racetrack would mean revenue,
jobs, and an increase in tourism for the community. The referendum passed
with an overwhelming 71% voter approval.
In June 1984, the Dubuque Racing Association applied for a license with
the Iowa State Racing Commission, and was granted the state’s first
license the following month. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in late
August, putting the facility on a rapid nine-month construction schedule.
Track construction proceeded on schedule, and on June 1, 1985, Dubuque
Greyhound Park opened its doors for the first time.
In May of 1991, Dubuque Racing Association prepaid the remaining $ 2.7
million of the original $7.9-million in general-obligation bonds used to
finance the construction of Dubuque Greyhound Park, some 14 years ahead of
schedule, thus making Dubuque Greyhound Park the first debt-free
pari-mutuel facility in the state of Iowa.
In the spring of 1994, the Iowa State Legislature passed a bill
permitting increased wagering limits on the riverboats and permitting
racetracks to install slot machines. DGP&C implemented slot machines
which became operational on November 22, 1995. The track’s
11,675-square-foot casino, decorated in a Victorian theme, has 600 slot
machines in denominations from pennies to $5, and is open 7 days a week,
from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 24 hours a day on
Friday and Saturday.
In November of 2002, a countywide referendum asked the citizenry to
reaffirm their desire to have gaming in Dubuque County. The referendum
passed with an overwhelming 80% approval. That was the highest approval
rating Dubuque Greyhound Park & Casino has had since its inception.
RIVERBOAT GAMBLING
In 1989, the Iowa State Legislature passed a bill permitting riverboat
gambling within the state’s boundaries along the Mississippi and
Missouri rivers. The Dubuque Racing Association, in conjunction with
Robert’s River Rides, submitted applications for a license, and in 1990
was the first applicant to be granted permission to operate a river
gambling boat in the state. On April 1, 1991, the Dubuque Casino Belle
made her maiden voyage as Iowa’s first river gambling boat. In the first
year of riverboat operation, the Dubuque Racing Association prepaid, in
its entirety, Ice Harbor improvement financing in excess of $4 million,
again resulting in the DRA positioning itself as Iowa’s only nonprofit,
debt-free pari-mutuel and riverboat licensee.
In April of 1993, the Belle departed the Ice Harbor, after being sold
to another operator who moved the boat south to eventually start up a
Missouri gaming operation.
The DRA began a search for an alternate boat, and selected the Greater
Dubuque Riverboat Entertainment Company as the new boat operator. The
GDREC’s boat, the Dubuque Diamond Jo Casino, was stretched and
refurbished for a capacity of 700 people, and became operational May 18,
1994. In early October 1995, GDREC replaced the original Diamond Jo Casino
with a larger 1,500-passenger, 305-foot vessel, which currently is in
operation at Dubuque’s Ice Harbor. In July 1999 Peninsula Gaming
purchased the Diamond Jo Casino. Peninsula Gaming continues to operate the
vessel.
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from the Dubuque Racing Associaton
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