A measure seeking to impose restrictions on new racinos in Nebraska is gaining momentum. State senators advanced Legislative Bill 876 to final reading on Monday. LB 876 would require the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission to hold up proposals for new racetracks and casinos until socio-economic impact and statewide market conditions studies are finished.
The bill would initially restrict the development of casinos to the six Nebraska counties that already have licensed horse racing tracks: Omaha, Lincoln, Columbus, Grand Island, South Sioux City and Hastings. It comes as more counties began proposing their own plans for new tracks and casinos, which many believe could eventually lead to market saturation.
New tracks and casinos have been proposed for North Platte, Ogallala, Gering, Kimball, Bellevue, York and Norfolk since Nebraska voters authorized racinos in November 2020, reports The North Platte Telegraph. Final passage of LB 876 would put off their consideration as late as 2025, depending on how quickly the studies are conducted.
According to Sen. Tom Briese, who chairs the General Affairs Committee, the bill strikes a balance between two opposing groups: developers and communities seeking to build new casinos, and gambling opponents who worry about these venues saturating the state.
Earlier proposals introduced to tackle this issue sought to put specific limits on the number of casinos and the distance between locations. But Briese, who proposed the bill, believes this measure could be the answer: “I think we’ve truly reached a middle ground on this,’ he said.
“We have left the door open to the (new) proposals that early proposals would have shut down,” Briese said last month. In response to a claim that the western two-thirds of the state would be “shut out” for casinos, the committee chairman countered that it would be up to the Racing Commission to decide whether casinos in the region should be added.
Briese called it a “de facto moratorium” on new casinos since it would take some time before the commission and an applicant could complete the required studies. The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce had initially called for no limit on racinos allowed, while state horse racing officials had recommended casinos to be allowed only at existing racetracks.
Five of the state’s existing tracks are now moving forward with their casino gaming plans: only the proposal for Hastings’ Adams County Fairgrounds was voted down in a City Council meeting, held on March 15.
Things seem to be moving particularly fast on Grand Island: a temporary casino at Fonner Park might open as early as this fall, according to Chief Executive Officer Chris Kotulak. “I would expect a temporary casino facility to be in operation before the end of 2022 but probably not until closer to October,” he said, according to The Grand Island Independent.
Rendering for Grand Island Casino Resort
Fonner Park is operated by Elite Casino Resorts of Iowa. The company intends to open the temporary facility on the Fonner Park campus, which would feature table games, about 200 slot machines and a small restaurant and bar area. According to Kotulak, it will look and feel like a casino, “just a small one.”
The executive said Fonner Park remains committed to expanding to a full casino offering and that if a temporary venue isn’t operating by early 2023, it would mean losing out on casino revenue for horsemen and horseplayers who count on it.
Construction of the permanent facility will be launched after this year’s Nebraska State Fair. More revenue will go toward horse racing once the full venue opens, which is expected to have more than 600 slot machines. Kotulak says the company would like to have it up and running by 2025.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2022/04/12/62202-nebraska-bill-to-restrict-new-racinos-advances-temporary-casino-in-grand-island-might-open-by-october
