Doors are set to open Friday morning on Nebraska’s first state-sanctioned, bricks-and-mortar casino.
Harrah’s Columbus, NE Racing and Casino, is the first “permanent” casino to open since voters approved expanded gambling in 2020.
Caesars Entertainment has scheduled the opening for 10 a.m.
Harrah’s Columbus is one of four state-approved racetrack casinos. Three others — in Lincoln, Omaha and Grand Island — are open but still operating in temporary facilities.
In Grand Island, the new $100 million casino at Grand Island Casino Resort is slated to open in the first quarter of 2025.
According to construction schedules, all three should be open by early next year.
The 17,000-square-foot Columbus casino floor will feature 400 slot machines and 11 live table games, including roulette and craps. It will feature a Brew Brothers restaurant and will offer Caesar’s sportsbook and racebook.
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Through a partnership with Columbus Exposition and Racing, the site will have live horseracing on a 1-mile thoroughbred racetrack, the state’s largest.
The track will host 15 live race days this year, according to the racing organization’s website.
Its racing season is set to run from Aug. 16 through Sept. 15 — with racing taking place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
At Horsemen’s Park in Omaha, Warhorse Gaming officials are aiming to open their new casino in early August. It will open with 900 gaming positions, including table games, and a Sweetwater Cafe.
A second phase is expected to open next spring, with more than 400 additional positions, a smoking area and additional dining options.
The new Warhorse casino in Lincoln, under construction adjacent to the temporary facility, should open around Nov. 1, a casino official said.
In November 2020, Nebraska voters approved ballot Initiatives 429, 430 and 431 to allow for casino-style gambling at licensed horse tracks.