WarHorse Gaming recently announced construction will begin next month on its Omaha casino, with a partial opening in June or July 2024 and completion in late 2024.
“We’re grateful for the patience, particularly to the citizens of Omaha. It’s going to be fantastic. We’ll have table games, restaurant options, sports betting and simulcasting,” Lynne McNally, chief executive officer at Nebraska Horsemen, told local outlet ABC7. Nebraska Horsemen is partnering with Ho-Chunk Inc. on the WarHorse casinos in Lincoln and Omaha.
A temporary WarHorse casino opened in Lincoln in September 2022 with 433 slot machines The next phase of construction on the permanent Lincoln venue will begin in July, doubling the size of the current casino to accommodate 870 slots, six to 10 table games and an expanded restaurant.
Nebraska voters approved casino gaming in November 2022 but finalizing rules and regulations took longer than expected, McNally said.
“Unfortunately, we started the process at about the same time the economy tanked and interest rates went through the roof. That has been difficult to navigate, but we’ve done that effectively and that’s done,” McNally told ABC7.
She added, “We’re expecting to fulfill our promise of keeping the money in Nebraska. We’re hoping those Nebraskans who’ve been driving across the river to Council Bluffs will stay in Omaha and spend their money in Omaha, keeping their tax revenue in Omaha and in the state.”
Since September, Nebraska has collected about $6.9 million in tax revenue from the Lincoln and Grand Island gaming facilities.
