Omaha Casino-Racetrack Breaks Ground; Could Open as Soon as Spring 2023

July 27, 2022, 4 a.m. ·

Tan, stadium style seats out of focus in the foreground with the racetrack grandstand in focus in the background.
The Horseman Park grandstand in South Omaha, former site of Aksarben, will be the new spot for gambling in Omaha in about one year. (Photo by Aaron Bonderson, Nebraska Public Media News)

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Omaha will soon have a new gaming facility. Ho-Chunk Incorporated broke ground Wednesday on a racetrack casino.

Ho-Chunk Incorporated officially expanded to Omaha on Wednesday. It broke ground on a similar racetrack casino or “racino” in Lincoln in early July.

CEO Lance Morgan said that the new casino in Omaha will employ more than 1,000 employees.

Morgan said that one-quarter of their revenue is sent back to the Winnebago Tribe. He said the Winnebago community is growing and that casinos will help with that.

“We have a young population. We keep building onto our town with more social services and all that’s going to be accelerated with the gaming,” Morgan said. “We’re already doing it. And so, it has a spillover effect.”

Morgan said the Omaha racino should have a temporary gambling facility open Spring of 2023 with card tables and slots. He expects the full facility to open in a little over one year.

For continued reporting of expanded casino options in Nebraska, check back with Nebraska Public Media News.