The Iowa West Racing Association (IWRA) was created when the state of Iowa passed laws requiring gaming licenses to be either held or sponsored by nonprofit organizations. The IWRA is the nonprofit license holder for Horseshoe Casino (formerly Bluffs Run) and the license sponsor Ameristar and Harrah’s casinos. The latter two operators pay license fees to the IWRA. In addition, two transactions in 1999 and 2004 involving Bluffs Run allowed the IWRA to make significant contributions to the Iowa West Foundation for charitable grantmaking.
The Iowa West Foundation (IWF) is the sole recipient of funds from the IWRA, allowing IWF to allocate more than $550 million to communities throughout southwest Iowa over nearly 30 years. IWF awards grants to nonprofit and government entities to improve the quality of life for citizens in southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska.
To learn more about the impact of gaming in Iowa, view the Iowa Gaming Association’s past annual reports.