March 18, 2024

Final reminders of Iowa casino remain temporarily

SIOUX CITY — The final remnants of Sioux City’s former riverboat casino will remain in the river for up to a year.

Two large, reddish-orange moorings that protrude about 15 feet out of the Missouri River are all that’s left of the former gambling boat. The Argosy riverboat casino closed in July after the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission ordered it to cease operations because it wasn’t partnered with a state-licensed local nonprofit group as required by Iowa law.

Mike’s Inc., an Illinois marine business, bought the riverboat and other assets, which it plans to sell.

Because the water is currently too cold for divers to remove the moorings, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has granted a one-year extension for the company, according to Matt Wray of the Corps regulatory office in Omaha. He said divers need to cut off the structures well below the water’s surface to prevent the objects from interfering with boating.

The company now has until December 2015 to remove the moorings.

City leaders say they will seek public input on what to do with the space formerly occupied by the Argosy riverboat in Chris Larsen Park. A final decision likely won’t come until the City Council puts together its annual budget next year.