A temporary casino venue is set to start operation at Fonner Park in Nebraska. The venue will offer its services for a few years until a permanent integrated casino resort is established around the already existing racetrack.
Elite Casino Resorts has officially revealed that it is set to begin the construction of a temporary casino around the racetrack at Fonner Park after the ending of the Nebraska State Fair on September 5th, 2022. As revealed by the company, the temporary casino facility will offer the residents and visitors of Grand Island approximately 300 electronic gaming machines (EGMs) and table games, such as roulette, craps and blackjack. A small area in the venue will be dedicated to a restaurant and a bar.
According to preliminary expectations, the temporary casino will start operation in November, right on time for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Chris Kotulak, the CEO of Fonner Park, has revealed that the temporary casino is set to operate for a few years. He further noted that under the developers’ plan, the construction of the permanent casino resort is set to begin after the Nebraska State Fair 2023 is over. If everything goes according to plan, the permanent casino resort should be ready to start operation in 2025.
Fonner Park Temporary Casino Venue to be Replaced by Permanent Operation in 2025
The permanent casino development that is set to soon start at the Fonner Park racetrack has been estimated at about $100 million.
According to the company’s project, the venue will feature a casino floor of 37,000 square meters, with the guests set to be initially offered 650 machines, with that number possible to expand to 850 at a later stage. Furthermore, 20 table games and a sportsbook will be available to the visitors, along with a show lounge, a beauty salon, and a spa.
As CasinoGamesPro previously reported, in November 2020, Nebraska’s residents voted in favor of the addition of new casinos to the state’s racetracks. Under the provisions of the constitutional amendment, all of the six Nebraska racetracks were allowed to add some table games and electronic gaming machines.
Apart from the casino gambling expansion, the state of Nebraska also gave the green light to the addition of in-person sports betting, so the new racinos will also be able to offer such a service. Apart from the Fonner Park racetrack in Grand Island, only the racetracks in Omaha and Lincoln have so far started the construction of temporary casino facilities for their customers. Fonner Park is set to be the first of the statewide racetracks that will start offering casino gambling services.
According to local lawmakers, the addition of the new casino gambling services to the existing racetrack operation would make sure Nebraska citizens are no longer forced to travel long distances in order to be able to gamble because all tribal casinos are situated in remote areas. However, some of the legislators were concerned that the new addition to the legal gambling services of the state could cause more harm than good.
