Hastings horse racing track moving operations to Ogallala

A Hastings horse track is moving operations to Ogallala after 20 years.

The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission voted Friday 7-0 to move an approved license from Hastings to Ogallala.

Chairman of the commission, Dennis Lee, said the state’s western-most tracks are currently in Grand Island and Hastings.

“Now, we’re going to move that several hundred miles west to — lot of things to offer in Ogallala with the interstate and with Lake Mac,” Lee said.

The Keith County area has grown in recent years, Lee said.

Keith County’s license allows for the opportunity to build a new casino adjacent to where the new quarter horse track will be. Casino gambling requires a separate application process through the commission.

The track will be near Lake McConaughey, Nebraska's largest lake. Operators Hastings Exposition and Racing (HER) initially proposed adding a casino to the existing track in Hastings. But ultimately, the company determined it made more sense to move farther west to avoid competing with Grand Island’s Fonner Park racetrack and Elite Grand Island Casino Resort.

Conditional approval for the move was given in December. Last month the commissioners delayed final approval and asked for more details about ownership of the track and potential casino.

At the meeting on Friday, Lee said several emails were sent between HER and the commission working through those questions.

A June market study showed that an Ogallala racetrack casino would have a positive economic impact on the state’s gaming industry.