It's been a question on the minds of politicians and the South Dakota public as construction picks up pace on the Grand Falls Casino Resort near Larchwood, Iowa. It's also the latest question we asked in our exclusive KELO-TV/Argus Leader poll.
There's
29 percent of registered Sioux Falls voters said they would cross state lines to try their luck at the new casino. 63 percent said they wouldn't show up, and eight percent are still undecided about jumping in their car for Lyon County, Iowa.
Sharon Haselhoff, the general manager of the Grand Falls Casino Resort, isn't surprised by the results.
"That is pretty much on track as far as the general population. Usually, we have about a third that will go to a casino, a third that don't care one way or the other but most likely will go to a resort because all the other amenities we have, and we usually have a third that will never step foot inside a casino," Haselhoff said.
Haselhoff says that's why the casino in Lyon County will offer more than just gambling. It will offer a golf course, live entertainment and a spa to draw in those people who don't care for gambling.
"People are looking for a lot of things to do and I think this resort feel gives them a lot of options," Haselhoff said.
Sioux Falls City Council member Greg Jamison, who has brought up concerns about the project, says the results don't surprise him either because people don't know what to expect yet since there's nothing like it in this area.
"It's probably fair. There isn't one they've been going to, so it's not like they can say they like one over the other," Jamison said.
Mason-Dixon Polling and Research conducted the poll of 400 registered Sioux Falls voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus five percent.
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