Nebraska’s racetrack casinos generate $10m in revenue in March

The state’s four racetrack casinos generated about $1.7m in taxes last month.

US.- Nebraska’s temporary gaming facilities in Lincoln, Fonner Park, Omaha and Columbus generated $1.7m in tax revenue during March. The casinos were taxed 20 per cent on combined gross revenue of $10m.

The racetrack casinos are Grand Island Casino Resort in Grand Island, WarHorse Casino in Lincoln and Harrah’s Columbus NE Racing & Casino. WarHorse Gaming, a subsidiary of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska‘s economic development arm Ho-Chunk opened a temporary sportsbook in Omaha in November, but it doesn’t yet offer casino gaming.

WarHorse Casino in Lincoln reported $5.4m in gaming revenue in March, more than 50 per cent of the state’s total revenue. Grand Island followed with $3.7m. Harrah’s Columbus NE Racing & Casino, operated by Caesars Entertainment, generated $703,329 and the Omaha sportsbook generated $125,000. 

In the first three months of this year, casinos generated gaming tax of nearly $5.2m. The state’s Property Tax Credit Cash Fund gets 7 per cent of the casino tax revenue, while cities and counties where the casinos are located split 25 per cent. The remaining 5 per cent is split between the state’s general fund and the Compulsive Gamblers Assistance Fund.

Grand Island’s permanent venue will have a 37,000-square-foot casino floor with 650 slot machines and 20 table games plus a sportsbook. It’s expected to open in 2025. The permanent WarHorse Casino in southwest Lincoln will include a 9,000-square-foot gaming floor, 445 slot machines, sports book kiosks and simulcast and live racing. Caesars Entertainment’s permanent location is expected to open in the spring of 2024. The construction of WarHorse Casino Omaha is underway at Horsemen’s Park, and the company expects work to be completed in June or July 2024.