The town of Osceola, Iowa, is named after the Seminole Chief Osceola and is home to the nine-hole Osceola Country Club Golf Course. This small town south of Des Moines is known for the quaint charm of a small Iowa town while offering shops, museums, hotels and a casino as entertainment. Terrible's Resort & Casino is just on the outskirts of town, offering golfers and other visitors some entertainment and fun away from the links.
Terrible's Lakeside Resort & Casino
The closest casino to Osceola is definitely Terrible's Lakeside Resort & Casino, located just outside of the town on West Lake. This casino offers a restaurant, sports bar and hotel for visitors. This casino is best known for their weekly tournaments. There is a $2,000 weekly blackjack tournament, as well as three weekly Texas Hold 'Em poker tournaments, one each on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. There are over 1,000 slot machines, with penny machines at the low end and some high end slot machines that go up to $25 for a single play.
Terrible's Lakeside Resort & Casino
777 Casino Dr
Osceola, IA 50213
(641) 342-9511
terribleslakeside.com/
Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino
Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino is the next closest casino to Osceola and is located roughly 25 to 30 miles northeast in Altoona, Iowa. This casino is based around a racetrack that is open in the months of April through October. The casino is attached to the racetrack, and as of 2009 their website boasts having the "loosest slots in the state." This casino also has room for many of the most popular table games. Everything from roulette to craps to blackjack and Pai-Gow poker is covered here.
Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino
1 Prairie Meadows Drive
Altoona, IA 50009-2115
(515) 967-1000
prairiemeadows.com
Bluffs Run Casino
Bluffs Run Casino is located on the Nebraska/Iowa border, a 45 minute to one hour drive from Osceola. This casino is mainly a Greyhound park that specializes in live dog racing. The inside has some slot machines, but not the same kind of selection that would be expected from a full casino. This racetrack only gives a token nod to anything other than dog racing but runs up to 15 races a day when the weather and conditions permit. This isn't the place for a slots or table player, but for golfers who like betting on the races, Bluffs Run Casino does offer plenty of that.
Bluffs Run Casino
Interstate 80 & Interstate 29
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
(800) 424-0080
bluffsdogs.com/
About The Author
Shane Dayton is a professional freelance writer who has worked for the ACLU, Touchstone Publishing LLC, the University of Fairbanks Alaska, as well as many other employers. He takes pride in being a jack of all trades as a writer.
