The State of Iowa wants to build more Casinos

Iowa has 17 state-licensed casinos scattered throughout the state, but studies indicate there's room for more and residents seem eager to sign off on such expansion.

The best business publication in this part of the state - the Corridor Business Journal - features a list of rankings each week. Recently, the list focused on tourism. The relatively new Riverside Casino made the No. 1 spot, based on annual attendance.

Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy says gambling has been key to the reversal of economic fortune in his hometown of Dubuque. Twenty-five years ago, that city was among the most distressed in the US, facing massive unemployment and a crumbling city center.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission will be spending this summer trying to determine whether or not they should add more casinos in the state. Voters have already approved referendums in five different counties and now those counties are waiting for the Gaming Commission's approval to build casinos.