Officials at WarHorse Gaming, a division of Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic development arm of the Winnebago Tribe, announced WarHorse Omaha casino at Horsemen’s Park will open on August 6, pending regulatory approval.
The $250 million venue will offer 800 slots, 20 table games, a sportsbook and simulcasting facility, plus a restaurant, bar and parking garage. A second phase, expected to open in spring 2025, will include expanded gaming space, outdoor smoking gaming patio and 200-room boutique hotel, officials said.
The construction of the casino follows the 2020 referendum in which Nebraska residents approved casinos at existing racetracks. WarHorse Gaming and the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association partnered to develop casinos at Horsemen’s Park in Omaha and Legacy Downs in Lincoln.
The permanent WarHorse Casino Lincoln is on schedule to open this fall, with 430 slots, sportsbook and parimutuel wagering, plus a 220-room hotel, events center and fine dining steakhouse. WarHorse has operated a temporary casino there since September 2022 inside the Legacy Downs grandstand, with 400 slots and the Winners’ Circle Grill. The temporary sportsbook there posted gross gaming revenue of $51.5 million in 2023.
The temporary sportsbook opened at Omaha in November 2023 reported $224,000 in revenue through the end of the year.
Lynne McNally, chief executive officer at NHBPA, said due to ongoing construction, Horsemen’s Park will hold just one race day this year, the minimum required by state law, on September 29. Racing dates at Legacy Downs will be September 20, 21, 27 and 28, McNally said. Next year, she said Horsemen’s Park will hold five race days and Legacy Downs will schedule 15.
WarHorse and the NHBPA also hope to redevelop the shuttered Atokad Downs in Sioux City into a racino, McNally said.
Meanwhile, Caesars Entertainment recently opened Harrah’s Columbus, Nebraska’s first permanent casino. The $100 million venue features 400 slots, 11 live dealer table games and a Caesars Race &
Sportsbook.
