Experts say the renovated racetrack could play a key part in reviving Nebraska as a premier destination for horse racing. The third phase will also see the completion of a $300 million racetrack, symbolizing hope for horse racing enthusiasts across the state. The construction was broken up into phases due to current interest rates. The second phase of construction, set to take about a year, will double the size of the current temporary casino with an expected 870 slot machines, six to 20 table games in place upon completion, and expanded dining options.Ī third phase is planned to occur in the future, with plans of adding even more gambling space, a 196-room hotel, and a recreational vehicle park to the Lincoln location. Warhorse and the potential impact of ‘racinos’Ĭonstruction is officially underway for phase two of the Warhorse Casino at the Lincoln Race Course in Lincoln.

Representatives with these Nebraska racinos want to make Nebraska is a premiere destination for gambling as well as an epicenter of horse racing once again. Fonner Park in Grand Island and the Columbus race track are following suit with plans of building their own resort racinos.

One of those is Warhorse Casino, which is set to have three locations in Nebraska, the largest located in Lincoln. Since legislation passed, new “racinos,” a combined racetrack and casino, have begun to emerge.

That is until casino gambling at licensed racetracks was legalized in Nebraska in 2020, which has brought attention back to horse racing. From 1919 to 1995, a race track known as Aksarben Race Track in Omaha attracted 30,000 plus fans from all over the country, creating an atmosphere much like that of game day.Īfter closing due to increased competition in the state, the racing industry in Nebraska declined, according to according to Mike Patterson, a reporter at the Omaha World-Herald who has covered horse racing in Nebraska since the ‘90s. Husker football dominates the state of Nebraska, but horse racing used to be a close second.

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