The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission recently approved an opening date of May 13 for the new Harrah’s Columbus, the state’s first permanent casino.
The 17,000-square-foot casino floor will feature 400 slot machines and 11 live table games, plus a Brew Brothers restaurant and Caesars Sportsbook and racebook. The complex also will offer Nebraska’s only 1-mile horse racetrack, opening August 16.
Gaming Commission Chairman Dennis Lee said, “This is a big deal.” Harrah’s Columbus General Manager Don Ostert added, “We’re definitely excited to open the first permanent casino in the state,”according to the Omaha World-Herald. Ostert said the casino expects to attract customers from Norfolk, Grand Island, Omaha and Lincoln.
Columbus Mayor James Bulkley said the city is “very excited to see it get started and become part of the community.”
According to the World-Herald, he added, “The location where it is used to be called Wishbones, and it was a venue for years for entertainment, and so people recognize that name, and they have kept that name for the sports bar.”
Three other temporary casinos are operating in the state, all expecting to open permanent facilities by the end of the year. WarHorse Gaming officials at Horsemen’s Park in Omaha said their new casino will open in early August, with 900 gaming positions plus a Sweetwater Cafe.
The second phase, opening in spring 2025, will offer more than 400 additional positions, a smoking area and additional dining options.
In Lincoln, officials said the new WarHorse casino, under construction adjacent to the temporary facility, is scheduled to open by November 1. And in Grand Island, the new $100 million Grand Island Casino Resort is expected to open in the first quarter of 2025.
