CCDA History

Clinton County Development Association

Our History

At the forefront of the gaming industry, the state of Iowa passed the first riverboat casino legislation in the nation on July 1, 1989. This bill allowed the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) to license qualified sponsoring organizations to conduct gaming on excursion boats within the state of Iowa along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, contingent upon a successful countywide referendum of the citizens of that county.

On January 17, 1991, an excursion boat gambling license was granted to the Clinton County Gaming Association/Mississippi Belle II, Inc., and on June 12, 1991, the Mississippi Belle II in Clinton, set sail.

In 1999, The Iowa Gaming Association (IGA), a nonprofit organization, was created to support the state’s gaming industry, act as an advocate for its members and communicate timely and accurate information about gaming both internally and externally.

June 8, 2006, the Commission approved the sale of the Mississippi Belle II assets to Wild Rose Casino & Resort, L.L.C. and then an excursion gambling boat license was issued to Wild Rose Casino & Resort, L.L.C./Clinton County Development Association.

On March 6, 2008, the Commission approved a license for Clinton County Development Association/Wild Rose Casino & Resort, L.L.C. to operate a Gambling Structure upon completion of its new facility.

2008 was an exciting year for both the Wild Rose Casino and the Clinton County Development Association (CCDA). The new Wild Rose facility opened in late June and with that came increased funds for the CCDA to distribute to deserving non-profit organizations throughout Clinton County. The CCDA is extremely proud of the role it has played in bringing this new attraction to the county.