Gering And North Platte Casino Developers Expect Decision from Gaming Commission as Soon as Six Months

Dec. 6, 2021, 4 p.m. ·

The rendering of a casino concept for North Platte. The animation shows numerous glass windows in the casino building and a race track below it.
The concept for a casino and racetrack facility in North Platte. (Photo courtesy of Global Gaming Nebraska and Koch Communications)

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Two cities in western Nebraska could open casinos and horse racing tracks as soon as 2023.

Sean Boyd is the president of Global Gaming Nebraska, which has filed applications with the Nebraska Gaming Commission to build casinos in Gering and North Platte.

Boyd said his Oklahoma-based company, which affiliates with the Chickasaw Nation, wants to operate the casinos with help from the community.

“Given that the state of Nebraska is a newly legislated market for the gaming industry, we think it’s very important that we’re prepared to work very hard to be good listeners,” Boyd said, “and ultimately long-term partners in all of these communities in which we intend to operate.”

He said he has plans to hire Nebraska contractors to build the estimated $50 million facilities, which would include horse racing tracks in order to comply with new state legislation.

The site would add 150 jobs to Gering, according to Boyd’s market analysis. The company expects millions in sales tax revenue for the towns, while substantially adding to Nebraska’s property tax credit.

Boyd said Global Gaming has received approval from the Gering and North Platte local governments. Now, it's up to the state to approve rules, then review and make decisions on several applications.

Boyd expects application decisions to be handed down in about six months, and said it takes approximately 12-16 months to build the casino and racetrack venues.