Nebraska: Lincoln casino project expected to bring $141M annual gaming revenue

The WarHorse Casino Project is bringing three casinos to Nebraska, according to Lynne McNally, Executive Vice President of Nebraska Horsemen Benevolent and Protective Association.

In a Zoom meeting held Wednesday, she said the Lincoln location alone will cost about $220 million in development, Fox42 KPTM reports. It will provide 230 construction-related jobs, and it will take 18 to 24 months of construction to build.

McNally said the “fully operational impact’ of the Lincoln project will be $141 million annual gaming revenue, 682 jobs, $19.74 million in statewide property tax relief, and $3.525 million in City of Lincoln annual tax revenue.

Lance Morgan, President and CEO of Ho-Chunk Incorporated, said the “Keep the money in Nebraska” campaign is what they are still offering. Plans for the Lincoln location include: a live horse racing track, a five-story, 196-room hotel with balconies overlooking the finish line of the track, indoor entertainment space, an event center, and a multilevel parking deck, according to McNally and Morgan.

According to Morgan, the design is “contemporary and modern,” and it will be “nothing like Horseshoe or Ameristar.” It will have “integrated table games, slot machines, and sports betting,” McNally said.

They are looking to contact four to five local restaurants to have a branch in the hotel. According to McNally, an outdoor entertainment venue is being conserved. “Lincoln will be the crowned jewel of WarHorse casinos,” McNally said.

The other locations will be in South Sioux City and Omaha at 63rd and Q streets, according to McNally. All three projects will be built “almost simultaneously,” said Morgan. The projects should be done late fall or early winter of 2022. Morgan said, “worst case scenario is 2023.”