Catfish Bend Casino

Catfish Bend Casino is a casino in Burlington, Iowa, United States, and one of the principal attractions within the FunCity Resort! Entertainment Complex. The property is owned by Great River Entertainment and operates alongside hotels, restaurants, entertainment facilities, and the Huck's Harbor indoor and outdoor water park. This wider resort format gives the casino a role within a family-oriented leisure destination rather than positioning it as an isolated gaming venue. The casino began operations on November 16, 1994, as a riverboat casino. At the time, Iowa casino regulation required casino operations to be located on navigable waterways. The property later moved onto land in 2007 after Iowa no longer required casinos to operate on navigable waterways. That transition changed the physical format of the venue while preserving its role in the Burlington entertainment complex. Catfish Bend Casino offers slot machines, table games, and a sportsbook. These are complemented by hospitality and entertainment facilities elsewhere in the complex, including the PZAZZ! Resort Hotel and the Catfish Bend Inn & Spa. Restaurants and the FunCity entertainment complex provide additional visitor amenities, while Huck's Harbor broadens the destination's appeal beyond casino gaming. The available reference material does not establish the casino's exact gaming-machine count, table-game inventory, sportsbook brand, ownership history before Great River Entertainment, or current executive leadership. The casino's operating schedule has included daytime opening and late-night closing, with longer hours on weekends; the referenced information notes weekday hours of 10:00 a.m. to midnight and weekend hours of 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., while also indicating that schedules may have been affected by COVID-19. Because operating hours can change, visitors should consult the official property website for current information. Catfish Bend Casino is best understood as a regional casino property embedded in a broader resort and entertainment destination serving Burlington and the surrounding area.

Catfish Bend Casino opened in Burlington, Iowa, on November 16, 1994. Its original operating format was a riverboat casino, reflecting Iowa's regulatory framework at the time. Iowa required casino gaming to take place on navigable waterways, so the property was established as a water-based gaming operation rather than as a conventional land casino. The regulatory environment later changed. In 2007, after Iowa removed the requirement that casinos be located on navigable waterways, Catfish Bend Casino moved onto land. This was the property's most significant documented physical and operational turning point. The relocation allowed the casino to function as part of a larger land-based hospitality and entertainment development rather than remaining tied to a riverboat format. The land-based casino became part of the FunCity Resort! Entertainment Complex, which is owned by Great River Entertainment. The complex combines gaming with lodging, dining, entertainment, and recreational attractions. Its accommodation facilities include the PZAZZ! Resort Hotel and the Catfish Bend Inn & Spa. The property also includes restaurants and FunCity entertainment facilities, as well as Huck's Harbor, an indoor and outdoor water park. This combination enables the destination to serve casino guests, hotel visitors, families, and other leisure travelers. Within the casino itself, the documented gaming offer includes slot machines, table games, and a sportsbook. The available reference material does not provide a detailed chronology of individual gaming expansions, renovations, brand campaigns, ownership transactions, or leadership appointments. It also does not establish a specific founding individual or a separate corporate entity behind the casino apart from its stated ownership by Great River Entertainment. The casino has operated with daytime-to-late-night hours, including longer weekend hours. The reference information records weekday hours of 10:00 a.m. to midnight and weekend hours of 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., while noting that COVID-19 affected operating conditions. Such schedules are subject to change, so the official website remains the appropriate source for current visitor information. In historical terms, Catfish Bend Casino's defining development is its transition from an Iowa riverboat casino to a land-based casino within a multi-attraction resort. Its current identity is therefore linked both to casino gaming and to the wider FunCity destination in Burlington.

• 2007

  Casino relocates onto land

  [1]Catfish Bend Casinoen.wikipedia.org

  Following the removal of Iowa's navigable-waterway requirement, Catfish Bend Casino moved from its riverboat format to a land-based location.

• 1994

  Casino opens as a riverboat operation

  [1]Catfish Bend Casinoen.wikipedia.org

  Catfish Bend Casino began operating in Burlington, Iowa, on November 16, 1994, using the riverboat format required by Iowa's casino-location rules at the time.

A regional casino integrated into a broader resort, hotel, dining, family entertainment, and water-park destination.

• Casino gaming

  Slot machines

  Electronic gaming machines form one of the casino's core gaming categories. The available reference material identifies slot-machine gaming as a principal offering but does not specify the number of machines, denominations, manufacturers, or current configuration.

• Casino gaming

  Table games

  Table games are another core category in the casino's gaming offer. The available material does not identify the specific games, number of tables, or current operating arrangements.

• Sports wagering

  Sportsbook

  The property includes a sportsbook as part of its gaming and wagering offer. No further details about betting markets, technology provider, or operating format are established by the supplied sources.

• Resort and entertainment destination

  FunCity Resort! Entertainment Complex

  The wider complex combines Catfish Bend Casino with hotels, restaurants, entertainment facilities, and the Huck's Harbor indoor and outdoor water park. It provides the broader destination context in which the casino operates.

1. 1Catfish Bend Casinoen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Catfish Bend Casino official websitethepzazz.com