The Hard Rock project beat out three other land-based bids. They included Penn National Gaming, which operates the Argosy Sioux City gambling boat, which will be replaced by the Hard Rock, most likely in summer 2014. Penn, which offered a pair of Hollywood-themed land casino proposals, becomes the first Iowa operator forced out of a market through competitive bidding since the state legalized casino gaming in 1989
A rendering of the proposed Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Sioux City