"As a community conversation editor, I couldn't have landed in a better spot during the recent Visitor Industry Luncheon sponsored by the Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Spotting an empty chair at a back-row table, I ended up sitting with a group representing Royal River casino and hotel in Flandreau and a person from a hotel in central Sioux Falls.

The opening of Grand Falls Casino Resort near Larchwood, Iowa - a stone's throw from Sioux Falls - is only four weeks away. Conventional wisdom says the resort probably will siphon business from Royal River, at least early on when people are giddy with excitement over something glittery and new.

It wasn't long ago when state and local leaders were clamoring for ways to frustrate Iowa's bold move to lure Sioux Falls dollars with a strategically placed casino.

But after the grandstanding subsided, people here realized the truth: We have no control over Iowa."

Get the Story:
Yvonne D. Hawkins: Courage on casino scene (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 5/12)