SIOUX CITY | Nichole Uhl started working at the Argosy Sioux City at age 18 as a cashier in the casino cage.
Over the next 15 years, she worked her way up to her current position as the assistant casino operations manager.
On Wednesday morning, Uhl was told her long career at the boat could come to an abrupt end in two months.
Facing a state order to shut down by July 1, the Argosy handed out layoff notices to all of its more than 300 employees. Those notified also included Uhl’s husband, Jacob, who works in the casino’s surveillance department.
«It’s very devastating for us and our family to receive that letter, to know that in a couple of months we’ll no longer have a job or money coming in,» Nichole Uhl said. «It’s very depressing.»
With the future of the floating casino uncertain, Argosy’s parent company, Penn National Gaming Co., said it was forced to comply with the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, Act, which requires employers with more than 100 employees to provide at least 60 days’ notice of a workplace closing or mass layoff.
By issuing the notices, the company is not abandoning its fight to keep the casino open, Penn National spokeswoman Karen Bailey said.
«The legal challenges will continue and we remain confident in our legal standing on all matters related to our license,” Bailey said in a statement.
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission on April 16 ordered the Argosy to cease operations on or before July 1. The five-member panel found the Argosy’s state license lapsed after its former local nonprofit partner, Missouri River Historical Development, refused to sign off on a renewal in 2012.
Penn, the nation’s second-largest gaming operator, has petitioned the IRGC to reconsider its decision. If the commission, as expected, denies that request, the company is prepared to use «every permissible legal avenue to stay the closure order and allow the Argosy to keep operating after July 1 …,» Argosy General Manager Lance George said in the letter to employees.
«If the commission’s ruling stands, and our legal efforts fail, the (Argosy) will permanently close its facility and terminate its entire workforce beginning on July 1, 2014,» George said in the letter.
Uhl said Argosy employees had been bracing for the layoff notices for months, ever since the IRGC in 2012 decided to put the Woodbury County gaming license up for bid.
«I think for a lot of people, it was a long time coming, but very sad, very disappointing,» she said.
Uhl said she and her husband are exploring a range of options, including transferring to other Penn-owned casino properties and going back to school. The couple have a 1-year-old son, Kaleb.
A number of Argosy employees have applied or plan to apply for jobs at the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City, which is scheduled to open in mid- to late summer, replacing the floating casino.
While not her first preference, Uhl said she would not rule out applying as well.
«I’m never going to say never. I’m keeping my options open,» she said.
Argosy workers who stay until the boat closes would be eligible for a severance package as well as the latest in a series of retention bonuses. The company started offering the bonuses, which generally range from $500 to $2,500, depending on the position, when its future in Sioux City started looking uncertain.
Iowa’s unique gaming statute requires casino operators to partner with licensed nonprofit groups that hold the license and also share in a portion of the casino revenues for distribution to charitable purposes.
The IRGC had allowed the Argosy to stay open without a license under what’s known as operation of law.
