- The WarHorse Casino project in Omaha will take longer to complete than its Lincoln Counterpart.
- The Omaha casino is expected to open in 2024 with construction taking a longer route by renovating Omaha’s Horseman’s Park.
- Once completed, the Omaha casino will have 1,200 slot machines, 20 table games, live and simulcast horse racing, and sports betting.
Work continues at the Horseman’s Park in Omaha where WarHorse Gaming is building a casino.
According to WarHorse Gaming, the casino’s owner, 2023 will be a big year for construction and the casino is expected to open in 2024.
There will be 800 slot machines and some table games to start when the casino first opens. That is expected to lead to big money coming in. https://t.co/Urz2oeI8Ib
— 6 News WOWT (@WOWT6News) December 26, 2022
Per WarHorse spokesman Drew Niehaus:
Omaha Will Take a Longer Time to Complete
Omaha’s facility broke ground at around the same time the Lincoln casino did last summer. But while the permanent Lincoln facility will be ready to accept guests this coming September 2023, gamblers in Omaha will have to wait a little while.
The Lincoln casino has progressed faster because it is being built from the ground up. On the other hand, the Omaha casino requires more time due to the renovation of the existing Horsemen’s Park structure which has to be gutted. Right now, WarHorse hopes that the games will be ready for play in the next year to 18 months, with the full facility opening 6 months after.
Like the Lincoln facility, the Omaha casino will be opened in phases. However, while the interim Lincoln casino only has 430 slot machines, the Omaha facility will have double the number of slot machines open, as well as table games. Officials say once Omaha opens, the state can expect to see far more revenue made in the first week of operations than Lincoln’s.
Full Blown Casino Experience
The $220 million Omaha casino has been touted as a “full-blown casino experience”. Once the permanent casino is operational, WaHorse Omaha will have 1,200 slot machines, 20 table games, live and simulcast horse racing, a retail sportsbook, and multiple food and beverage options.
Like its Lincoln counterpart, the Omaha gambling facility is being billed as an economic engine to grow the city’s tourism economy. It is also expected to impact employment in the area with an estimated 1,000 new permanent jobs created once the permanent casino is fully operational.
WarHorse expects the Omaha casino to generate $150 million in annual revenue. At Nebraska’s 20% casino tax rate, that’s $30 million per year. 70% of the amount will go to the state’s property tax relief while 25% will be shared by Omaha and Douglas County. The remaining 5% will be used to fund a problem-gamblers program.
WarHorse Gaming’s Other Nebraska Projects
Aside from Omaha, WarHorse has two other casino projects in Nebraska. The first of course is the Lincoln casino at the Lincoln Racecourse. WarHorse opened a temporary facility last September with 430 slot machines, sports betting, and live and simulcast racing spread across 9,000 square feet of gaming space.
Phase 2 of that project is the completion of the permanent casino. That permanent facility will feature over 1,300 slot machines, 100 table games, live and simulcast horse racing, a sportsbook, a 200-room hotel, an events space, and restaurants. Construction is expected to be completed in September 2023.
WarHorse is plotting a third casino at Atokad Park in Sioux City. Last April, the city annexed land in an area east of Everett’s Furniture, off Dakota Avenue. The location will be where Atokad Park will move once WarHorse Gaming uses its current location as a casino site. However, construction of the Sioux City casino isn’t expected until the permanent casinos at Lincoln and Omaha are up and running.</p
