Nebraska: WarHorse Casino Lincoln introduces table games in latest expansion

WarHorse Casino in Lincoln introduced table games on Monday following a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The casino's expansion includes table games like roulette and blackjack.

While the venue opened in September 2022, it had only slot machines and sports betting until Monday. WarHorse CEO Lance Morgan believes the expansion could appeal to people who like to gamble but don’t like slot machines.

“We've been here for a couple of years in the original facility, and so we have a pretty defined market,” Morgan told Omaha World-Herald. “But not having table games I think has limited us, and it appeals to a slightly different gambler.”

The expanded casino has now added 10 table games including roulette, blackjack, and one electronic craps table that bounces giant dice like the board game Trouble, according to the above-mentioned publication.

The new space also includes about 400 additional slot machines. Apart from the slots and table games, the WarHorse Lincoln expansion has also changed the sports betting and restaurant seating areas.

Dealer-operated craps tables will eventually join the other games after staff are trained on the game, Lynne McNally, CEO of the Nebraska Horsemens Benevolent and Protective Association, said during last month's meeting of the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission.

The older part of the casino is currently accessible through a temporary tunnel. In that area, there is a new space dedicated to sports betting with a simulcasting screen and an expanded seating area for the restaurant.

Morgan said the expansion would bring in more revenue, which means more tax revenue for the state. He noted the casino was sold to voters as a way to increase state revenues and offer relief for property taxes. By law, 70% of gaming taxes generated by the state's racetrack casinos go directly to a state property tax relief fund.

A third expansion phase will grow the casino and will include four new restaurants. Work on the third phase will begin next fall. Morgan said this most recent phase makes the casino feel more like a real casino.

“There's a phase three coming that's going to blow the roof off the thing with lots more entertainment and a lot more machines and everything, but this makes it into a full-blown casino, and that's what we're excited about,” Morgan said.