The legalization of casino gambling in Nebraska will help the Winnebago Tribe contend and bring back lost revenue from competing Iowa casinos, the tribe's lead economic developer said.
"We've been watching somebody eat our lunch for 20 years and not care about us," Ho-Chunk Inc. CEO Lance Morgan said on NET' News' Speaking of Nebraska.
To learn more about casino gambling in the state, watch Speaking of Nebraska Thursday at 8 p.m. on NET Television or listen Friday night at 6:30 p.m. on NET Radio.
The Winnebago Tribe already owns the WinnaVegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa, which is located just across the Missouri River from Winnebago, Nebraska. The casino -- operated by Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic development arm of the tribe -- opened in 1992.
The casino flourished right away, but hasn't been as profitable after Iowa expanded gambling later in the decade, Morgan said. With the new casino business eminent in the coming years, following Nebraska voters passing three initiatives last November, Morgan said the added revenue will help put the Winnebago Tribe on the right financial path.
“We believe in coming full circle," he said. "We're back, and now, we are going to take their business and bring it into Nebraska."
There are currently six licensed horse race tracks in Nebraska. (Graphic by Joe McMullen, NET)
Under the passed initiatives, casinos in Nebraska must coexist with a horse racing track. Ho-Chunk has announced it will build casinos at the horse race tracks in South Sioux City, Omaha and Lincoln. The Columbus race track is determining plans for a casino, and there's is a potential developer in North Platte, according to the North Platte Area Chamber of Commerce. It is unclear if the race track in Hastings has plans for a casino.
Fonner Park in Grand Island will also build a casino, but who operates it is yet to be determined, said Chris Kotulak, Fonner Park CEO. "We're just trying to do the best thing for Fonner Park, Grand Island and central Nebraska," he said.