The IRGC's approval follows more than a decade of efforts by the Cedar Rapids Development Group and its gaming partner, Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E), to establish a casino in Iowa’s second-largest city. The decision comes just days after a proposal to impose a five-year moratorium on new casino licenses failed in the Iowa Senate.

The vote comes after some Iowa lawmakers attempted to pass a five-year moratorium to prevent the commission from handing out licenses.

Cedar Rapids developers and contractors will break ground at the site of the Linn County casino Friday at 11 a.m.You can watch the groundbreaking live.The Iowa

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Cedar Rapids and the groups behind the Cedar Crossing Casino & Entertainment Center are celebrating the groundbreaking for the $275 million facility. It comes after the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) has voted to approve a gaming license for Linn County on Thursday morning, clearing the way for the casino.

On Thursday, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approved a gaming license for Linn County, laying the foundation for the City of Cedar Rapids to move forward

The Cedar Rapids project has been years in the making, but market studies suggest it could pull as much as $68 million in annual revenue from existing Iowa casinos. Critics, including Rep. Heather Hora, argue this could harm communities that rely on casino-generated funding, such as her district, home to the Riverside Casino.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) decided Thursday not to answer a petition seeking to block the commission’s consideration of a Linn County

Cedar Crossing Casino & Entertainment center granted license by IRGC on Thursday morning

During Thursday’s Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission meeting, each member of the commission delivered a statement explaining their vote on the Cedar Rapids casino project. Listen to the audio here. Read more on the 4-1 vote to approve the state casino license application here.