Temporary Grand Island casino expected to open this fall
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Grand Island’s temporary casino might open as early as this fall, Fonner Park Chief Executive Officer Chris Kotulak said.
“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.
It’s hard to predict which month the casino will open “because there are many variables that are out of our control,” Kotulak said.
Elite Casino Resorts of Iowa, Fonner Park’s gaming operator, will build the temporary casino on the Fonner Park campus.
In the temporary facility, people will be able to play blackjack, roulette and craps, in addition to slot machines. It also will include a small restaurant and bar area.
It “will look and feel like a casino, just a small one,” Kotulak said. “We don’t want to shortchange our guests with an inferior environment or experience.”
Nebraska voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing casinos at the state’s horse racetracks in November 2020. Construction on the permanent casino won’t begin until after this year’s Nebraska State Fair.
Having a casino will increase purses at Fonner Park because a percentage of the gross gaming revenue will be allocated toward purse money for the horsemen.
The percentage is included in the agreement between Fonner and Elite Casino Resorts. “Every racetrack makes their own deal with the casino operator,” Kotulak said.
“I’m hopeful that in a year or two our purses will have doubled what they are today,” Kotulak said.
More revenue will go toward horse racing when the permanent casino opens. It’s expected to have more than 600 slot machines. The temporary structure will have close to 200 slots.
The construction of the Grand Island Casino Resort at Fonner Park probably will have to work around two Nebraska State Fairs. It would be nice to have the permanent facility up and running in 2025, Kotulak said.
Baxter Construction of Des Moines, Iowa, will be the general contractor of both the temporary and permanent structures.
The temporary casino will be used for storage after the Grand Island Casino Resort at Fonner Park is built.
