In Nebraska, a group by the name of WarHorse Gaming is pursuing the authorities to give them the license to open a new Casino in northeast Nebraska. This is a threat for western Lowa casinos as it is within 200 miles radius of the 4 Lowa casinos operating in the area.
WarHorse Gaming wants a horse track and proposed to replace the convention center in the area with a casino that is state of the art, with a hotel, restaurant, and other such facilities. Lance Morgan who is CEO of the parent company of WarHorse, said here’s a hotel there. There’s a restaurant, brewery…and they have this 20,000-foot convention center right there.”
WarHorse Gaming has been planning this for 4 years now and has allocated a budget of $55 million for this big project. Morgan has been a big advocate of this and believes that the emphasis will be on games and but the horse track will be of the greatest importance. Lance Morgan said “Norfolk has a long track record of supporting horse racing but isn’t served with a track in the community. We hope to bring the excitement, entertainment, and significant economic development that will come with fully developing the site.”
Ho-Chunk the parent company of WarHorse Gaming has said to name it Norfolk casino and will open employment opportunities for 250 people. They have not just targeted Nebraska, they are in constant contact with Sioux City, Omaha, and Lincoln. In South Sioux City, they will be managing the operations of the
Lincoln Race Course and in Omaha the Horsemen’s Park. The Omaha and Lincoln endeavors will be done in a partnership with the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, which owns these horse tracks.
Nebraska’s people have nodded in favor of horse tracks for betting purposes as last year $1.5 billion profit was generated from the already established 19 casinos with official license from Nebraska.