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WarHorse Casino at the Lincoln Race Course is scheduled to open this weekend.
The long-awaited opening of Nebraska's first state-licensed casino cleared its final hurdle Friday afternoon, paving the way for the first pull of a slot machine in Lincoln's history.
The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission voted Friday to grant a permanent gaming license to WarHorse Lincoln, which plans to open its temporary casino at Lincoln Race Course on Saturday.
The commission's unanimous approval — met with a burst of applause and cheers from a crowd of attendees at the UNL East Union, where the commission meets — comes nearly two years after Nebraska voters overwhelmingly supported a ballot initiative to allow casino gambling at the state's horse racing tracks.
"It is historic by definition," Commissioner Tony Fulton told reporters after Friday's meeting. "It has never happened before."
WarHorse Lincoln will welcome gamblers to its temporary casino at Lincoln Race Course near U.S. 77 and West Denton Road at 10 a.m. Saturday, said Lance Morgan, the president and CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic wing of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and operator of WarHorse.
"We've worked on it for years," Morgan said after the meeting. "And to see it come to fruition is almost surreal, like I'm having trouble believing it. But I know tomorrow, we'll open up, and things will get going."
The commission had been set to vote on WarHorse Lincoln's permanent license in a Zoom meeting last week, but canceled the meeting over concerns among some commissioners about making the decision to grant the state's first permanent casino license in a virtual setting.
"It was an easy concern to address," Commission Chairman Dennis Lee said then. "We just moved it 10 days."
The commission had briefly considered granting the permanent license at its Aug. 31 meeting but decided to hold off because WarHorse still had to test its slot machines and commission officials had not completed background checks on all of the key officials involved with the casino.
The delay turned out to be necessary, according to Tom Sage, the commission's executive director who told the board Friday that WarHorse encountered a "sensitive security issue" this week that wasn't fully resolved until Friday morning.
After the meeting, Morgan said the issue involved a "security door."
The security hang-up — and a 25-minute delayed start to Friday's meeting because of a tardy commissioner — marked the final delays in a two-year gap between the success of the ballot initiative and Saturday's opening. The 24-month holdup has left millions in potential tax revenue on the table, a fact that's not lost on supporters and even some opponents.
Sen. Tom Briese, who is a longtime opponent of expanded gambling in Nebraska but also a staunch supporter of property tax relief, sent a letter to the Racing and Gaming Commission earlier this month reminding members of their duty to enact the will of the voters and to do so as soon as possible.
Briese, who's from Albion, wrote that his office has been getting calls from constituents "who have expressed the belief that the government is dragging its feet with regard to allowing the casinos to open."
In response to those criticisms Friday, commissioners described the two-year process as the genesis of casino gambling in Nebraska and pointed to the importance of ensuring things were done right — and that consumers in the state were thoroughly protected.
"This really was a warp-speed project," Commissioner Shane Greckel said, noting that WarHorse's casino application alone amounted to thousands of pages of documents that had to be reviewed and approved.
And Lee, the commission's chairman, pointed to the small number of state employees who were tasked with morphing the ballot initiative into a functioning gaming ecosystem.
"(When the initiative passed), the commission had two full-time staff," he said, drawing comparison to the Nebraska Wheat Board and its small number of staff members. Lee said the commission's staff has grown to 10 since the November 2020 vote.
"And since that time, we've adopted extensive rules and regulations; we've had public hearings on those rules and regulations," Lee said.
Now, the delay is over.
On Saturday, gamblers will walk into the temporary casino at WarHorse Lincoln for the first time.
Friday's vote allows for the immediate opening of WarHorse's temporary site with 433 slot machines, which will run the gamut from classic slot machine games people find at the casinos in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to games that are so new they will only be found at the casino in Lincoln.
While the temporary casino is in place, a new casino-resort will be under construction at the Lincoln Race Course site.
The plan is to add to the current building on the north, south and east sides, leading to a casino with more than 1,100 slot machines, 100 table games, a sportsbook and both live and simulcast horse racing. The complex will also include several dining options, including a steakhouse, sports bar and café. Plans also call for a 200-room hotel and a three-story parking garage.
Lynne McNally of the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, a partner with WarHorse on the Lincoln project, said the current projected opening date for the casino resort is November 2024.
And similar efforts are already underway elsewhere.
Where: Lincoln Race Course, west of U.S. 77 on Denton Road.
When: Opens 10 a.m. Saturday.
Hours: Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (no alcohol sales from 2 a.m.-6 a.m. daily).
Fonner Park in Grand Island hopes to open a temporary casino sometime around Thanksgiving that will have 300 slot machines, although it has not formally requested its permanent gaming license. A request to remodel the Fonner Park racing facility to make room for the temporary casino was tabled at Friday's meeting.
Caesars Entertainment announced this week that it has signed a lease with the Platte County Agricultural Society to operate a temporary casino in Columbus with 250 slot machines. No timeline for opening has been announced.
WarHorse also plans to open a temporary or transitional casino at Horsemen's Park in Omaha with 800 slot machines, but it's not expected to open until sometime in the spring.
"I think that, what it does, is give you a taste of what's coming," Morgan said of Lincoln's temporary casino. "The facilities in Omaha and Lincoln, we're spending half a billion dollars on them. And it's really going to be first-rate facilities."
The ballot measure backed by voters in 2020 paved the way for casinos at the state's six licensed horse racing tracks, including tracks in South Sioux City and Hastings.
Other cities have come forward with casino proposals since the vote, but any new projects won't happen until the Racing and Gaming Commission completes a market analysis focused on both horse racing and gambling.
Commissioners on Friday also voted to create a committee on problem gambling and sex trafficking, which Lee said is the first of its kind in North America.
The committee will bring together commissioners, investigators, advocates and state and federal law enforcement officials to address ongoing problem gambling and human-trafficking issues in the state, Lee said.
Sam Simpson on Friday walks through a field of U.S. flags set up in memory of those who died on 9/11, Friday, Sept. 9. Volunteers placed 2,977 flags at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's East Campus and wrote thank you cards for local firefighters, law enforcement and residents at the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Healthcare System.
A Nebraska fan reacts to a missed field goal as time expired in the Huskers' 45-42 loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska wide receiver Trey Palmer (3) can't pull in a pass against Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
Lincoln Southwest's Jack Baptista (3) dives for the pylon against Lincoln East on Friday, Sept. 9, at Seacrest Field.
Lincoln North Star's Dylan Hallett (3) tackles Kearney's Kole Throckmorton (91) on Thursday, Sept. 8, at Seacrest Field.
Aurora's Carlos Collazo (left) is tackled by Ashland-Greenwood's Logan Sobota (center) and Thomas Spears (right) during a run in the second quarter Friday, Sept. 9, in Ashland.
Ashland-Greenwood's Dane Jacobsen practices throws during warmups before the Bluejays' game against Aurora on Friday, Sept. 9, in Ashland.
A look at Nebraska's light show after the third quarter of the Georgia Southern game Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
Scott Frost enters a truck to exit Memorial Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 11, after he was fired as Nebraska's head football coach.
Eli Soell of Lincoln (right) celebrates a Nebraska touchdown against Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
Georgia Southern's Kyle Vantrease leaps over Nebraska's Ernest Hausmann (bottom left) and Luke Reimer (bottom center) to score the game-winning touchdown on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska's Kaitlyn Hord celebrates after scoring a point against Long Beach State on Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Devaney Sports Center.
Nebraska volleyball head coach John Cook (left) talks with Tyler Hildebrand, Long Beach State's head coach and a former assistant at Nebraska under Cook, on Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Devaney Sports Center.
S-E-M's Creyton Line (left) grabs the helmet of Parkview Christian's Alex Rohrbaugh on Friday, Sept. 9, at Larry and Carol Frost Field.
Nebraska head coach Scott Frost walks off the field after the Huskers lost to Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska's bench reacts to a play during the match against Creighton on Wednesday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Nebraska's Lindsay Krause (22) hits a ball past Creighton defenders on Wednesday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
A airman walks along the wing of now retired WC-135C/W, during a retirement ceremony for the final "nuke sniffer" aircraft used by The Fightin’ Fifty-Fifth at the Lincoln Airport on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, in Lincoln, NE. The WC-135 Constant Phoenix is a special-purpose aircraft derived from the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter and used by the United States Air Force. Its mission is to collect samples from the atmosphere for the purpose of detecting and identifying nuclear explosions. It is also informally referred to as the "weather bird" or "the sniffer" by workers on the program and international media respectively. The 55th Wing will retired one of it jets and welcomed its latest during a 1 p.m. ceremony at the Lincoln Airport. The Fightin’ Fifty-Fifth officially retired the WC-135C/W and officially welcomed WC-135R tail number 4836 to its fleet. Tail 4836 is the first of three WC-135R deliveries to the wing, while tail 2667 is the last of the old WC-135C/W fleet to be retired.
Shawna Fosket holds a Super Punch, a punch needle tool she's worked to develop. A Kickstarter campaign has raised almost $6,000.
Lincoln High's Faith Van Eck (left) attempts to block Lincoln Northeast's Genna LeMay in the second set at Lincoln Northeast on Tuesday.
Nebraska's Nicklin Hames (center) reacts after a serve by Lexi Rodriguez (right) won the second set for the Huskers at the Devaney Sports Center on Saturday.
Nebraska's Bekka Allick (left) and Nicklin Hames celebrate after a Husker kill against Mississippi in the second set at the Devaney Sports Center on Saturday.
Nebraska linebacker Ernest Hausmann takes the field before the game against North Dakota on Saturday. Hausmann, a true freshman, played 40 snaps in the game.
Nebraska edge rusher Garrett Nelson walks off the field after the Huskers' win against North Dakota on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska running back Ajay Allen celebrates his fourth-quarter touchdown against North Dakota on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
A first-quarter moon rises over Memorial Stadium toward the end of the Nebraska-North Dakota game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska's Anthony Grant (left) tries to break loose from North Dakota's Marcus Vaughn-Jones (9) on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska coach Scott Frost talks with North Dakota coach Bubba Schweigert before Saturday's game at Memorial Stadium.
Fans arrive at Memorial Stadium before the North Dakota game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska head coach Scott Frost high-fives a young fan before the North Dakota game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Lincoln High players Adonis Hutchinson (2), Javon Leuty (22) and Beni Ngoyi (8) walk out of the tunnel before taking on Omaha Northwest on Friday at Beechner Complex.
Lincoln Southeast's Henry Woods (top) is brought down by Lincoln East's Carter Tempelmeyer on Friday at Seacrest Field.
Mario Garcia of Lincoln, a passenger on the first flight to Houston early Friday, picks up souvenirs at Lincoln Airport's first flight ceremony.
Lincoln North Star's Jace Coleman (14) is tackled by Lincoln Northeast on Thursday at Seacrest Field.
Lincoln North Star players celebrate after winning a softball game against Lincoln Pius X Thursday at Doris Bair Softball Complex.
Nebraska's Lexi Rodriguez (center left) and Madi Kubik (top right) celebrate with their team Kubik's match-ending kill against Loyola Marymount on Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center.
Nebraska's Madi Kubik (top left) reacts after a kill by teammate Lindsay Krause (center) against Loyola Marymount on Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center.
Danish artist Julie Sass works Wednesday to assemble her show, “IMAGE: temporary constellation,” at Fiendish Plots at 2130 Magnum Circle.
Construction of the new football training complex has progressed to the point that fans will be able to access the northeast corner of Memorial Stadium this season.
State Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln (left) is cheered on by her husband Mark Geist as she announces her bid to be Lincoln's next mayor on Wednesday at MoMo Pizzeria & Ristorante.
Supporters of Earnest Jackson, including cousin Millie Rush (from left), mother Brenda Jackson-Williams and cousin Sabrina McGraw, all of Omaha, gather in a circle for 22 minutes in support of him after the Nebraska Board of Pardons denied his request for a sentence commutation Monday at the Capitol.
Nebraska interim head coach Mickey Joseph takes the field with the Huskers before the game against Oklahoma on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Oklahoma wide receiver Jalil Farooq (3) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Nebraska in the first quarter Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska's Anthony Grant (10) hurdles Oklahoma's Kani Walker (26) and Damond Harmon (17) on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Lincoln High's Liam Thew (33) warms up before Friday's game between Lincoln High and Grand Island at the Beechner Athletic Complex.
Lincoln East's Hudson Davy races toward the finish line in the boys varsity race during the Harold Scott Invite on Thursday at Pioneers Park.
Lincoln Southeast's Max Buettenback (25) reels in an interception over Lincoln North Star's Braeden Sunken (7) and his teammate Nate McCashland (3) during the first quarter Friday at Seacrest Field.
Cross country runners compete in the Harold Scott Invite on Thursday at Pioneers Park.
Nebraska's Bekka Allick (5) reacts after dropping a point in the first set against Stanford on Tuesday at the Devaney Sports Center.
Workers assemble a set for Fox Big Noon Kickoff show, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 at University of Nebraska Union, in Lincoln.
Mickey Joseph speaks at his first news conference as Nebraska's interim football coach Tuesday. “For right now, my No. 1 focus and the staff’s focus is the players, that we make sure that they’re OK," he said.
Lincoln East's Kamdyn Roebke catches a pass against Lincoln Northeast on Thursday at Seacrest Field.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com.
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On Saturday, gamblers will walk into the temporary casino at WarHorse Lincoln for the first time.
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