Article: Casinos growing in Iowa: Gambling proves economic engine, source of controversy.

Byline: James Nash

Oct. 16--DES MOINES, Iowa -- Corn is still Iowa's top cash crop, but cherries are rapidly catching up. Iowa's cherries, however, don't grow on trees. They spin on slot machines, which for the past 17 years have sprouted across this agricultural state faster than ears of corn under the summer sun. Since Iowa became the Midwest's first wagering state with the opening of a riverboat casino in 1989, gambling has changed Iowans' lives in ways both subtle and dramatic. It has created nearly 35,000 jobs in a state that was reeling from farming employment losses. It has contributed to divorces and bankruptcies. It has even helped spruce up ...

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