Ogallala is ready to go if the Nebraska Legislature votes to authorize casinos at new horse racing tracks. With the approval of casino and racetrack partners, the Ogallala region of Nebraska will receive a casino.
LMRC, Inc. was selected to partner with Elite Casino Resorts, Keel Management, and Fonner Park to construct the project. The design of the casino was presented to the Ogallala City Council and the Keith County Board of Commissioners this week.
The Ogallala City Council and Keith County Board of Commissioners authorized a $100 million proposal this week. It would be constructed by the same gambling corporation constructing a casino in Grand Island’s Fonner Park.
The partners intend to construct and operate a casino resort with a racetrack in Ogallala. The City Council and the Board agreed to continue forward with the plan following the presentation.
Fonner to take over the project
Iowa-based Elite Casino Resorts will be a casino partner for the proposed Grand Island Casino Resort at Fonner Park. The Kehl family currently controls Elite Casino Resorts.
Since Nebraska voters authorized integrating horse tracks with casinos in 2020, this is the second “racino” application. In addition, the City Council and County Board of Ogallala approved a 174-acre project at the I-80 exit in December.
The project was funded by the Minnesota-based company Canterbury Park.
If a casino and racetrack are constructed in the future, Grand Island’s Fonner Park will partner in operating the complex.
According to Elite Casino Resorts, the projected Lake Mac Casino Resort & Racetrack will feature a casino with 650 slot machines, 20 table games, six poker tables, a sportsbook, and a show lounge with weekend performances by local and regional talent.
The Ogallala City Council and the Keith County Board of Commissioners reached an agreement in late June to allow Elite Casino Resorts, Kehl Management, and Fonner Park to construct a $100 million resort complex.
In addition, it would have a 5/8-mile oval racetrack, a 120-room hotel, 10,000 square feet of convention and event space, an RV park, and a “luxury” truck stop.
Chris Kotulak, the chief executive officer of Fonner Park, claims that Elite attempted to convince Fonner to participate in a casino-racetrack development in the Ogallala region.
Kotulak stated on Wednesday that if a new license for a racetrack is issued in Nebraska in the future, it will likely be issued in North Platte or Ogallala. And because so many people come from eastern Colorado, Ogallala makes far more sense than North Platte as a location.
The Approval
The proposed project is comparable in scale and scope to Elite’s plans for the Grand Island racecourse, where the resort will feature a 37,000-square-foot casino floor with 650 slot machines, 20 table games, and a sportsbook.
At this week’s local council meeting in Ogallala, a community of approximately 4,500 people, the public addressed the possibility of constructing a racetrack and casino. The council voted 3 to 2 in favor of the proposal.
On Monday, the Ogallala City Council and the Keith County Board of Commissioners authorized plans for a $100 million facility that will be constructed by the same gambling business that is constructing the Fonner Park casino. The decision was made in anticipation of the potential approval of further casinos at future horse racing locations.
The city administrator of Ogallala, Jane Skinner, reported that two persons spoke in support of a casino; a few others were neutral, and seven spoke against it. Skinner stated that she could see both sides of an argument.
According to Elite Casino Resorts, the proposed Lake Mac Casino Resort & Racetrack will feature a casino with 650 slot machines, 20 table games, six poker tables, a sportsbook, and a show lounge featuring local and regional talent.
In addition, there would be a racetrack, 120-room hotel, 10,000 square feet of convention and event space, RV park, and upscale truck stop.
There are evident benefits to economic growth that would aid in the development of our town. Skinner stated;
“We are on the verge of becoming a larger community, and this could be the impetus we need to advance. A casino also has economic and social repercussions.”
Last Updated on by Ryan
