Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA riverboat casino and hotel complex on the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa, serving the Omaha metropolitan area.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs is a riverboat casino and hotel complex in Council Bluffs, Iowa, directly across the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska. The property opened for business in January 1996 and was developed as a resort intended to complement the local history and riverfront setting. Its architecture and presentation evoke an 1800s river town, while the centerpiece remains a 272-foot-long, 98-foot-wide riverboat casino. The property combines casino gaming with hotel accommodation, dining, and related entertainment. Its gaming facility covers approximately 38,500 square feet and includes more than 1,500 slot machines as well as table games. A 160-room hotel tower supports overnight stays and gives the venue a broader hospitality role than a stand-alone casino. Several restaurants are also located within the complex, allowing the property to serve leisure visitors, casino customers, and regional tourists. Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs primarily serves the local Council Bluffs market and the much larger Omaha metropolitan area immediately across the river. Its location makes it part of the cross-border entertainment and tourism economy linking southwestern Iowa with eastern Nebraska. The venue is one of three casinos historically associated with Council Bluffs and is notable for remaining on a riverboat. Other local riverboat operations were converted or relocated to land-based facilities after Iowa law permitted land-based casinos in 2007. When the property opened, Iowa law required riverboat casinos to conduct scheduled cruises during the excursion season, which ran from April 1 through October 31. The Ameristar vessel therefore operated within a regulatory model that treated casino gaming as a river excursion activity. Subsequent changes in Iowa gaming law reduced the practical importance of cruising, while the property continued to operate as an integrated casino and hotel destination. The ownership history reflects consolidation in the American regional gaming industry. Ameristar Casinos owned the Council Bluffs property until Pinnacle Entertainment acquired Ameristar in 2013. Pinnacle was subsequently acquired by Pennsylvania-based Penn National Gaming in 2018; Penn National later adopted the name Penn Entertainment. The real estate is now owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties, while Penn Entertainment operates the casino under the Ameristar identity. The property therefore combines a consumer-facing casino brand with separate real-estate ownership and gaming operations.
History
Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs opened in January 1996 on the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The property was conceived as a resort that would reflect the area's riverfront history, and its design draws on the appearance of an nineteenth-century river town. The principal gaming venue is a riverboat measuring 272 feet in length and 98 feet in width. At the time of the property's opening, Iowa law required riverboat casinos to make two-hour cruises during the excursion season, which ran from April 1 through October 31. The operating model consequently combined regulated casino gaming with a river excursion component. The property developed as an integrated casino and hospitality complex rather than solely as a gaming vessel. It contains approximately 38,500 square feet of gaming space, with more than 1,500 slot machines and table games. A 160-room hotel tower provides accommodation, while several restaurants supply dining options for casino visitors and hotel guests. The complex's location opposite Omaha places it within a regional market extending across the Iowa-Nebraska border, with Council Bluffs and the Omaha metropolitan area forming its principal customer base. Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs is distinguished from other Council Bluffs casinos by retaining its riverboat format. Iowa legislation enacted in 2007 allowed casinos to operate on land, and other local riverboat properties subsequently changed their physical arrangements. Harrah's, for example, scrapped its riverboat and moved its casino onto land in the same general area in 2013. Ameristar remained the only Council Bluffs casino still operating on a riverboat according to the referenced account. The property's corporate history followed consolidation in the regional casino sector. Ameristar Casinos owned the venue until Pinnacle Entertainment acquired Ameristar in 2013. In 2018, Penn National Gaming acquired Pinnacle Entertainment. Penn National later changed its corporate name to Penn Entertainment, and the Council Bluffs casino became part of Penn Entertainment's operating portfolio. The real estate is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties, a gaming-focused real-estate investment trust, while Penn Entertainment operates the casino and hotel business. This separation reflects the common gaming-industry structure in which a real-estate company owns the physical property and a gaming operator manages the customer-facing activities.
- 2018
Penn National Gaming acquires Pinnacle Entertainment
[1]The acquisition transfers Pinnacle's gaming operations, including the Council Bluffs property, to Penn National Gaming, later renamed Penn Entertainment.
- 2013
Ameristar Casinos acquired by Pinnacle Entertainment
[1]Pinnacle Entertainment acquires Ameristar Casinos, including the Council Bluffs property.
- 2013
Competing Harrah's riverboat is replaced by a land-based casino
[1]Harrah's scraps its riverboat and moves the casino onto land, leaving Ameristar as the only Council Bluffs casino still operating on a riverboat in the referenced account.
- 2007
Iowa permits land-based casinos
[1]A change in Iowa law allows casinos to operate on land, altering the regulatory and physical context for riverboat casinos in the state.
- 1996
Property opens in Council Bluffs
[1]Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs begins operations in January as a Missouri River riverboat casino and resort-style complex.
Products and positioning
Regional casino-hotel and riverboat entertainment destination serving Council Bluffs and the Omaha metropolitan area
Gaming services · 1996
Casino gaming
Casino gaming is the property's core offering. The approximately 38,500-square-foot gaming floor includes more than 1,500 slot machines together with table games. The casino is housed in the riverboat structure and serves customers from Council Bluffs, Omaha, and the surrounding regional market.
Casino entertainment · 1996
Riverboat casino experience
The casino operates from a riverboat measuring approximately 272 feet long and 98 feet wide. Its river setting and historic river-town design are central elements of the property's identity. During the original excursion-era regulatory regime, the vessel was required to make two-hour cruises during Iowa's designated excursion season.
Hospitality
Hotel accommodation
A 160-room hotel tower extends the property beyond casino gaming and supports overnight stays for regional visitors. It forms part of the integrated casino-hotel complex, although detailed room categories and amenities are not specified in the referenced material.
Food and beverage
Dining
Several restaurants operate within the complex and provide dining for casino patrons, hotel guests, and other visitors. The available reference confirms the presence of multiple restaurants but does not identify their names, cuisines, or individual concepts.
Brand decisions
2018
Penn National Gaming acquires Pinnacle EntertainmentM&ABackground
Pinnacle Entertainment had acquired Ameristar Casinos five years earlier, making the Council Bluffs property part of the assets affected by Penn National Gaming's acquisition.
Action taken
Penn National Gaming acquired Pinnacle Entertainment and subsequently changed its corporate name to Penn Entertainment.
Aftermath
Penn Entertainment became the operating company for the property, while Gaming and Leisure Properties owns the real estate.
2013
Pinnacle Entertainment acquires Ameristar CasinosM&ABackground
Ameristar Casinos owned the Council Bluffs property before the transaction, which formed part of broader consolidation among regional casino operators.
Action taken
Pinnacle Entertainment acquired Ameristar Casinos and added the property to its operating portfolio.
Aftermath
The Council Bluffs property continued under the Ameristar identity while its corporate ownership moved to Pinnacle.
Sources1 sources
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