There are three Indian casinos in Iowa, but none of those casinos is in the Council Bluffs area. There is only one racetrack casino in Council Bluffs. Pari-Mutuel (racetrack) Casinos in Council BluffsĮlectronic gaming machines, such as slots and video poker, are legal at three of the state’s pari-mutuel racetracks, as well as an assortment of table games. There are currently two riverboat casinos in Council Bluffs.
This allowed riverboat casinos to resemble land-based buildings. That same year the state also legalized casinos on moored barges that float in man-made basins of water and no longer required the casinos to be on boats. Three years later, in 1994, the Iowa legislature eliminated those gambling restrictions. The first riverboat started operating on April 1, 1991, and in those early days, gamblers were limited to a maximum $5 bet, coupled with a maximum loss of $200 per person, per cruise. There are three casinos in Council Buffs: two are riverboat casinos and one is a pari-mutuel (racetrack) casino.
