Cedar Crossing Casino & Entertainment Center will open to the public Thursday, Nov. 19, six weeks earlier than the Dec. 31 opening it had planned, casino leaders announced Thursday, Oct. 15.
In July, the CBJ reported that the $275 million casino expected to open in mid-November. Thursday’s announcement sets the date.
“I’m proud of our team and what they’ve accomplished to bring Cedar Crossing to this point,” said Aaron Gomes, president of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E), the casino’s developer. “I love seeing the groundswell of support from the local community and the excitement building for opening day. We can’t wait to welcome everyone on November 19.”
The casino will hold its official grand opening Saturday, Dec. 5, with a concert by Old Dominion. The casino said the show is sold out.
Other acts announced for the casino’s entertainment lineup are Foghat, Steve-O, Josh Blue, Hinder, Piff the Magic Dragon, Eli Young Band, Switchfoot, KC Bruner and Maddie Poppe, The Commodores and Trace Adkins. Tickets for announced shows are on sale at cedarcrossing.com/entertainment.
The casino said it will announce details about opening-day activities later.
Approval and development
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission voted 4-1 on Feb. 6, 2025, to award the gaming license for the casino. It was Linn County’s third attempt to win a license; the commission rejected earlier proposals in 2014 and 2017. Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E) and the nonprofit Linn County Gaming Association (LCGA) jointly filed the latest application in August 2024.
Riverside Casino & Golf Resort in Washington County sued to challenge the license, arguing that the wording of the 2021 Linn County gambling referendum was deficient. Eighth Judicial District Court Judge Michael Schilling denied the lawsuit on June 18, 2025.
P2E will operate the casino. Ryan Companies is the general contractor.
The 160,000-square-foot building sits on the former Cooper’s Mill and Best Western site, bounded by F and I avenues NW and First and Fifth streets NW. Both businesses were demolished after damage in the 2008 flood. Because the site is in the city’s 100-year floodplain, the building was raised six feet on 104,000 tons of limestone screenings.
- A 40,000-square-foot gaming floor with 700 slot machines and 22 table games
- A 1,500-seat event center, where Jocko’s Comedy Club will operate
- A number of restaurants including the Clubhouse by Zach Johnson
- An arts and cultural center
About 300 construction workers were on site at the project’s peak. Developers said 98% of contracts went to Iowa companies, and the casino expects to fill more than 200 positions.
The developers have committed 8% of the casino’s net adjusted gaming revenue to the Linn County Gaming Association, which distributes it to area nonprofits. The state minimum is 3%.
P2E has projected that the casino will draw up to 1.2 million visitors a year. It also projects $2.25 billion in total economic impact over construction and the first 10 years of operation.
