Elite Casino Resorts will be expanding its portfolio in Iowa. 

Headquartered in Riverside, Elite Casino Resorts announced this week that it will acquire the assets and operations of Great River Entertainment, including Catfish Bend Casino and FunCity Resort located in Burlington. 

Elite Casino Resorts CEO Dan Kehl spoke on the acquisition, “We’re really looking forward to closing on the acquisition of Catfish Bend Fun City down there in Burlington. Looking forward to bringing our Elite Casino core principals to the property, which are: one, our employees are our greatest asset; two we like to have clean and well-maintained resorts, exceptional food quality, great entertainment, and then great guest service. So we think this, bringing our core principals down to the Burlington property and rolling it into our portfolio of casinos, will be a great thing not just for Burlington but for all of our other properties as our guests will be able to use their players club and rewards points all across Eastern Iowa. It’s going to be a good move for us.”   

With this acquisition, the Kehl family, majority owners of Elite Casino Resorts, along with more than 1,200 Iowa unitholders, many from Burlington and Fort Madison, are bringing Catfish Bend and FunCity back under their ownership.

Elite Casino Resorts has pledged a smooth transition for all team members, who will continue in their roles with expanded opportunities for training and advancement. The company also intends to promote tourism and strengthen the economy of Southeast Iowa.