Opening on June 1, 1985, Dubuque Greyhound Park became the nation’s first nonprofit greyhound track. The facility is owned by the City of Dubuque and is run under the guidance of the Dubuque Racing Association, a volunteer board comprised of 21 directors. Profits from the race track go to the City and area charitable organizations, and pari-mutuel and gaming taxes provide revenue for the city, county, and state. The following is a brief history and description of Iowa’s first pari-mutuel race track.

In 1984, the Iowa State Legislature passed the Pari-mutuel Wagering Act, a bill that opened Iowa to greyhound and horse racing. At the same time that the legislation was being discussed in Des Moines, a Dubuque group formed to assess the potential for a racetrack in the community. Originating as a part of the Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitors Bureau, the group soon became independent and incorporated as the Dubuque Racing Association, Ltd. With its membership designed to include persons representing a broad base of local interest, the organization drafted bylaws that mandated a nonprofit status, and included a rule to ensure that no member would receive compensation or personal benefit from the development of a racetrack.

After the group completed an extensive feasibility study, the prospect of a greyhound racetrack in Dubuque was taken to the voters. An April 1984 referendum asked the citizenry to approve a $7.9-million general-obligation bond to be used as the major source of funding for the racetrack. The general-obligation bond would place the burden of the responsibility for the track’s success upon the citizens themselves. A successful track would mean a new source of city revenue; a failure would ensure an automatic increase in property taxes. It was a gamble that Dubuque was ready to take, knowing that the racetrack would mean revenue, jobs, and an increase in tourism for the community. The referendum passed with an overwhelming 71% voter approval.

In June 1984, the Dubuque Racing Association applied for a license with the Iowa State Racing Commission, and was granted the state’s first license the following month. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in late August, putting the facility on a rapid nine-month construction schedule. Track construction proceeded on schedule, and on June 1, 1985, Dubuque Greyhound Park opened its doors for the first time.

In May of 1991, Dubuque Racing Association prepaid the remaining $ 2.7 million of the original $7.9-million in general-obligation bonds used to finance the construction of Dubuque Greyhound Park, some 14 years ahead of schedule, thus making Dubuque Greyhound Park the first debt-free pari-mutuel facility in the state of Iowa.

In the spring of 1994, the Iowa State Legislature passed a bill permitting increased wagering limits on the riverboats and permitting racetracks to install slot machines. DGP&C implemented slot machines which became operational on November 22, 1995. The track’s 11,675-square-foot casino, decorated in a Victorian theme, has 600 slot machines in denominations from pennies to $5, and is open 7 days a week, from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 24 hours a day on Friday and Saturday.

In November of 2002, a countywide referendum asked the citizenry to reaffirm their desire to have gaming in Dubuque County. The referendum passed with an overwhelming 80% approval. That was the highest approval rating Dubuque Greyhound Park & Casino has had since its inception.

RIVERBOAT GAMBLING
In 1989, the Iowa State Legislature passed a bill permitting riverboat gambling within the state’s boundaries along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The Dubuque Racing Association, in conjunction with Robert’s River Rides, submitted applications for a license, and in 1990 was the first applicant to be granted permission to operate a river gambling boat in the state. On April 1, 1991, the Dubuque Casino Belle made her maiden voyage as Iowa’s first river gambling boat. In the first year of riverboat operation, the Dubuque Racing Association prepaid, in its entirety, Ice Harbor improvement financing in excess of $4 million, again resulting in the DRA positioning itself as Iowa’s only nonprofit, debt-free pari-mutuel and riverboat licensee.

In April of 1993, the Belle departed the Ice Harbor, after being sold to another operator who moved the boat south to eventually start up a Missouri gaming operation.

The DRA began a search for an alternate boat, and selected the Greater Dubuque Riverboat Entertainment Company as the new boat operator. The GDREC’s boat, the Dubuque Diamond Jo Casino, was stretched and refurbished for a capacity of 700 people, and became operational May 18, 1994. In early October 1995, GDREC replaced the original Diamond Jo Casino with a larger 1,500-passenger, 305-foot vessel, which currently is in operation at Dubuque’s Ice Harbor. In July 1999 Peninsula Gaming purchased the Diamond Jo Casino. Peninsula Gaming continues to operate the vessel.