Posted on: June 17, 2024, 09:56h.
Last updated on: June 17, 2024, 10:15h.
WarHorse Casino Omaha at Horsemen’s Park plans to open this August, pending regulatory signoffs by the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission (NRGC).
Officials with WarHorse Gaming, a division of Ho-Chunk, Inc., the commercial business arm of the Winnebago Tribe, say the company’s permanent Omaha casino venue is slated to open on August 6.
WarHorse Omaha will debut with 800 slot machines, 20 table games, a sportsbook, and an updated simulcast parimutuel wagering experience. The roughly $250 million facility will include a restaurant, bar, and parking garage.
WarHorse Omaha will operate at 6303 Q Street. Subsequent planned expansion phases include additional gaming floor space, an outdoor gaming patio where smoking will be allowed, and a boutique hotel with 200 guestrooms.
The 2020 statewide ballot referendum Nebraskans passed authorizing the state’s horse racetracks to operate slot machines, table games, and sportsbooks applied the state’s Clean Indoor Act that prohibits indoor tobacco smoking in most public places and businesses to the casino venues.
WarHorse Construction Progress
Following the successful 2020 vote, the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) partnered with WarHorse Gaming to redevelop its racetracks into casinos. Along with Horsemen’s Park, WarHorse is building a casino at the association’s Lincoln Race Course.
WarHorse Casino Lincoln is a similarly sized project and investment. The Lincoln casino is set to open this fall with a smaller casino with 430 slots, plus sports betting and parimutuel wagering, but unlike the Omaha destination, the Lincoln property will open with a 220-room hotel and an events center. WarHorse Lincoln will additionally have a fine-dining steakhouse.
A condition of the 2020 referendum is that the gaming facilities are located next to an active track. To satisfy the rule, Horsemen’s Park has scheduled September 29 as its lone day of live racing in 2024. The rebranded Lincoln Race Course, now called Legacy Downs at WarHorse Casino Lincoln, will hold four days of racing on September 20, 21, 27, and 28.
The NHBPA additionally controls the shuttered Atokad Downs in South Sioux City. The NHBPA and WarHorse Gaming hope to redevelop that track in the coming years into a casino with live racing.
The NHBPA plans to increase the number of live racing dates in the years ahead after construction finishes on the two casinos. The goal is to schedule 15 race days annually at Legacy Downs and five per year at Horsemen’s Park.
Gaming Taking Hold
WarHorse has operated a temporary gaming facility in Lincoln since Sept. 24, 2022. The venue is inside the Legacy Downs grandstand and offers 400 slot machines and the Winner’s Circle Grill.
WarHorse Lincoln generated gross gaming revenue (GGR) of $51.5 million last year, which topped the state’s three provisional casinos in 2023. Grand Island’s temporary facility was next at $30 million. Harrah’s Columbus’ temp facility opened at Ag Park a year ago this month and won $7 million through 2023.
WarHorse Omaha opened a temporary sportsbook last November. The business generated GGR of $224K through December.
Caesars Entertainment made history in the Cornhusker State last month by opening Nebraska’s first permanent casino. Harrah’s Columbus, NE, Racing & Casino, a $100 million undertaking, opened its doors on May 17 with 400 slots, 11 live dealer table games, and a Caesars Race & Sportsbook. Two adjacent hotels from Marriott will soon welcome overnight guests.
