1st in a series of stories on the casino opening this week.

WATERLOO -- Don Hoth almost broke his wife Julie's hand May 11, 2005.

The couple was in Johnston, awaiting an Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission decision. At issue was whether to grant Waterloo a license to the Isle of Capri casino proposed near Lost Island Adventurepark.

"I was surprised I didn't break the bones … I was squeezing it so hard," Hoth said. "We were sweating it. It was a very emotional time for us."

When the commission decided in favor of the site, the Hoths squeezed each other, this time, in elation.

At that time, Hoth had been working on the proposal for four years as chairman of the Black Hawk County Gaming Association, the nonprofit entity holding the casino license.

"Now it's six years."

On Saturday, Hoth will participate in the ceremonial first slot pull at a VIP reception for the opening of the Isle Casino and Hotel at Waterloo.

"I think when June 30 comes, I will be on an emotional high. It will be a very emotional day for me, and I hope I don't cry," he said. "I gotta prepare myself not to get too emotional. It's like having a six-year gestation period."

Sight unseen

The Isle opens at 7 p.m. Saturday. Isle of Capri Chairman and CEO Bernard Goldstein will participate, and a former Iowa sports personality not yet disclosed will cast the ceremonial first dice throw.

The casino is a sight the likes of which the Cedar Valley hasn't seen. Nor has Isle of Capri Casinos, the operator.

"With all of the casinos that we have on our portfolio, there's not a property that compares with it," casino general manager Kim Hardy said.

"I don't think there's anything really in the state that compares. It's exciting. It is just gorgeous," Hardy added. "This just gives us a great competitive edge. We'll be able to compete with any other casino in the state."

"Adventures in Parrotdice," a Jimmy Buffet tribute band, will perform opening night. Visitors will be greeted at the entrance with a spectacular two-story water feature and other visual effects, giving the casino its tropical ambiance. The frame for the water feature was put together by Fusion Glass Designs, a company in England.

Officials anticipate the gaming floor, hotel and restaurants will be open with the exception of Farradays Signature Steakhouse, expected to open in late July. Also open will be Tradewinds Marketplace, which includes a Pizza Hut, KFC, Iowa Scoops Ice Cream shop and an Any 'Wich Way sandwich shop.

The project was a massive task, requiring a $175 million investment and about 335,000 square feet. About 1,110 slot machines, including more than 70 video poker machines, will light up the four corners of the casino floor, while 35 table games will fill out the middle. Those games include craps, fortune blackjack, rapid roulette, fortune pai gow and poker.

Floors three through nine hold 195 hotel rooms, including 27 suites.

A special promotional event will run July 15 through Aug. 12. The last day culminates in a grand prize drawing and fireworks display.

Fantastic finish

Those promoting the project believe the wait will be worth it.

Hoth first proposed the idea in 2001 as a mayoral candidate.

"I think it's going to be fantastic," he added. "People are really going to be surprised once it's open and they get in there. This is a very nice hotel and casino. It's one of those things, when people first walk in, they're going to say, 'Oh, my gosh.'"

Hoth was one of those promoting a petition drive to get a public vote to bring a gambling boat to Black Hawk County. That was overwhelmingly approved Oct. 7, 2003.

"We mentioned three things: property tax relief; capital improvements; charitable contributions," Hoth said.

Those will result from the community's share of casino revenues, he predicts.

Hoth visited dozens of casinos and gaming companies before forging an alliance with Isle of Capri. The company in turn scouted a number of sites in the community before selecting the location south of U.S. Highway 20 near the interchange with Interstate 380 and U.S. Highway 218.

The city struck an agreement to work exclusively with Hoth's group and Isle of Capri prior to the referendum. Two competing proposals later surfaced. One group, working with Catfish Bend Casinos in Fort Madison, wanted to put a casino in downtown Waterloo. And the National Cattle Congress organized an effort in cooperation with the Meskwaki tribe.

All three groups, and others around the state, waged vigorous campaigns for their respective projects.

When the state Racing and Gaming Commission asked for direction from the Iowa Legislature on whether an administrative moratorium on new casinos should be lifted, Hoth's group formed a coalition with other locales that wanted gaming facilities. The group included former state Sen. Jim Lind, a Republican, and former Lt. Gov. Robert Fulton, a Democrat, both of Waterloo.

The coalition successfully lobbied lawmakers for gambling-friendly legislation in 2004. The Racing and Gaming Commission reviewed the three applications from Waterloo and others from around the state, and the Isle of Capri plan was among those selected. The Waterloo casino is the last of the most recent crop of Iowa gaming facilities to open.

Opposing views

Those who introduced competing casino proposals, or who opposed gambling altogether, have different views on the eve of the Isle's opening.

"I guess I'm still in shock it's taken so long," said Tunis Den Hartog, a retired Waterloo accountant and savings and loan executive.

Den Hartog co-chaired the group working with Catfish Bend to place a casino downtown. He is also a board member of the National Cattle Congress, which still has an appeal pending before the Iowa Supreme Court to open a gaming operation at the defunct dog track owned by NCC.

"I'll be glad to see it open," Den Hartog said of the Isle. "I think it'll be good for Waterloo. It'll just bring in some more activity. The more people we get in here spending their money, everyone gets a slice."

LeaAnn Saul, a Cedar Falls insurance executive, was one of the leading opponents of the 2003 referendum.

"I'm sad for the area," Saul said.

She said law enforcement officials are already preparing for crime and other issues associated with gambling addiction.

"I feel sorry for the people that are drawn into it and their families," Saul added.

"I understand there are supposed to be jobs and all of that (but) the society, Black Hawk County, will pay the price for it at some point in time," she said.

"The other thing that really concerns me is how much of the money is going to head down to Mississippi," Saul said.

The Isle of Capri is based in that state. Saul said the portion of money staying in the area is "minute" compared to what the company will retain.

According to Black Hawk County Gaming Association information, nearly a third of the casino's adjusted gross revenue is going to state and local taxes and charitable contributions and to fight gambling addition. An additional portion will go to local property and state sales taxes.

As far as social costs, Hoth said those concerns seemed to have subsided.

"There's no statistical information that supports all those things," he said. "Now, do people go bankrupt because they gamble too much? Sure they do. Do people get divorced because one of the spouses gambles too much? Sure they do. Do some people steal to get money to gamble? Sure they do."

But Hoth suggested they make up a small percentage of bankruptcy filings.

Apparent benefits

The casino project is indicative of a change in attitude in the community, Hoth said.

"I think a lot of it is attributable to getting the referendum passed by a 2-1 margin, compared to the defeats we had in the past," he said.

Voters twice defeated measures to expand gaming at Waterloo Greyhound Park, which closed in 1994.

"And I think more people have adopted a can-do attitude," Hoth said.

Casino revenues for charitable contributions, downtown Riverfront Renaissance and local governments will fuel more positive developments, he said.

"The city of Waterloo's going to benefit, the county's going to benefit, other communities in the Cedar Valley are going to benefit," Hoth said. "I think it's a tremendous thing. I already hear of people that want to have their conventions here that might have shied away from us before."

Hotel developments under way in the Crossroads Center area are happening concurrently with the casino development, he noted.

Opening delayed

The Waterloo casino was supposed to open in April but grew in size.

"I just feel with a $40 million expansion it's well worth the wait," Hoth said.

Hardy predicts in its first year, the Isle will bring in $100 million in revenue.

"It's really blossomed, and it will probably be the nicest casino certainly within the state, if not within the region," Hardy said.

Hoth believes the city and the Racing and Gaming Commission put their money on the best horse in selecting the site and gaming company.

"We made the right choice in the Isle of Capri," Hoth said.

He notes he and his wife received no remuneration from the company except for two souvenir shirts and a dozen golf balls.

"This is a fantastic company with fantastic people. They made all of us feel like we're really part of the Isle family. I've seen that the four-plus years we've been associated with them over and over and over again," he said.

The Isle staff's challenge is to wow people with service as much as surroundings when the casino opens. Historically that is not a problem, Hardy said.

"We do that very well."

Contact Pat Kinney at (319) 291-1484 or pat.kinney@wcfcourier.com.