Just below the belt line between Minnesota and Iowa, a plan for a casino is moving closer to fruition.

After passing a county-wide referendum of support for a casino by more than a two-to-one ratio, Worth County has completed its next step toward putting a casino somewhere in their county.

According to Steve Miller, who has been pushing the project from the start, the county now has a non-profit corporation organized: the Worth County Development Authority, which would be given the casino’s gambling license if Worth County is picked for a casino.

In 2000, the state of Iowa put a moratorium on gambling licenses, but recently, the state has hinted that another might be given out.

Seven counties in the state are now making bids for a casino. So far, Palo Alto and Worth counties are the furthest along in their proposals.

Miller estimates that a Worth County casino could bring in a gross profit of $35 million annually. Worth County’s development authority would take in between 5 and 15 percent of the gross receipt totals. Miller said the plan is to evenly divide that money among the county’s schools and the municipalities to be distributed as grants by municipal committees.

Miller said he doesn’t stand to make any profit from the casino, but hopes that the casino would make great strides in improving economic development, the school system and the local economy.

&uot;I think my idea will help a lot of other people become millionaires,&uot; he said. &uot;There’s a lot of people who could stand to make a lot of money off of this. Myself, personally, I won’t receive any money.&uot;

&uot;But it’s all for a good cause.&uot;

On Friday, representatives of the authority will travel to Des Moines to present their proposal to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

Afterward, Miller said, the commission will be discussing the possibility of lifting the moratorium.

The commission has the power to do so, but legislators on the commission must also give their permission. So a political battle could be key.

The process of rescinding the moratorium could take up to a year.

According to Wes Eherke, president of the Iowa Gaming Association, a lobbying group for the state’s casinos, the gaming commission will likely do a study on which locations are &uot;underserved&uot; by gaming.

For Worth County, that may be good news.

Eherke said that the location, community support and the community-based plan for the project will be good for their odds.

&uot;That will at least be noticed by the gaming commission,&uot; he said.

For Worth County, the next step will be for the development authority to find an operator for their casino. Miller says several have shown interest, so it’s not a matter of selling the idea, but picking the right one. He expects a choice to be made within the next few months.

(Contact Peter Cox at peter.cox @albertleatribune.com or 379-3439.)