Entertainment

WarHorse expands in Lincoln, begins South Sioux City design

WarHorse expands in Lincoln, begins South Sioux City design

WarHorse Gaming is moving forward on an expansion at its casino in Lincoln while working on the design of a new casino in South Sioux City and making plans to continue growing in the state.
Lance Morgan, CEO of WarHorse Gaming, said on Monday the Lincoln market can support a much larger facility and so they are working to match that need.
“We need to up some of the amenities so that it’s not just a gambling place,” Morgan said. “It’s an entertainment destination and a place to go hang out, watch the game, have something to eat and gamble, if you want, for fun.”
Adding more than 74,000 square feet to increase the number of table games and slot machines will cost about $70 million, Morgan said. The Lincoln expansion also includes a sports bar and restaurant with the working name of the Big Fire Chophouse.
The Lincoln casino, near U.S. 77 and West Denton Road, first opened in September 2022 and completed a second phase in November 2024.
The latest expansion is slated to start construction in spring 2026 and open a year later, Morgan said.
Voters approved casino gambling in a group of ballot initiatives in 2020. Omaha’s Warhorse casino opened in 2024 and it has grown its revenue along with the Lincoln location.
South Sioux City design begins
Meanwhile, progress on the company’s third casino in South Sioux City is just beginning with work being done on design.
The company has owned the race track in the city for over 10 years and has held a yearly race to keep its license active, Morgan said.
The project was prioritized after the Omaha and Lincoln casinos, but it was always the plan to build there, Morgan said.
“We’re going to build up probably more of a modest facility there because it’s a smaller market,” Morgan said. “But we’ll start next summer and it’ll be a full-blown casino with table games and slot machines and restaurants and everything you want.”
The casino will be the sixth and final one planned in Nebraska.
The expansion into South Sioux City came after the company announced that it had refinanced about $300 million in startup loans to a favorable five-year deal, according to a WarHorse news release.
The company used its initial loans to support early projects, but the refinancing allows it to have more control over its finances and invest in the new expansions, Morgan said.
WarHorse’s two active casinos in Lincoln and Omaha have generated about $112 million in gaming revenue so far this year, according to an August report from the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission. Of that revenue, about $22.5 million is tax revenue which will go to a Property Tax Credit Cash Fund, the respective cities and counties, a state general fund and a compulsive Gamblers Assistance Fund.
Morgan said WarHorse employs about 600 people in Lincoln and Omaha and will employ about 1,000 people in the state by the end of its planned growth.
“Even if you’re not for gambling, I think you could recognize the economic impact is starting to kick in,” Morgan said.
In addition to expansion and construction, WarHorse plans to be part of a push to legalize mobile sports betting in the state, Morgan said.
WarHorse isn’t the only gambling company expanding. The Lake Mac Casino & Resort in Ogallala reported about $527,000 in gaming revenue in August after opening midway through the month, according to the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission’s report. About $105,000 of that revenue is tax revenue.
Racing additions
Lincoln’s race track is also expanding. As construction on the casino begins in the northeast corner of the site, construction is underway on three new buildings in the southeast corner.
The Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association is replacing a smaller temporary barn with two new barns and building an administrative building.
Lynne McNally, the CEO of the association, said the new barns will increase the number of horses that can be kept at Legacy Downs from 60 available stalls to 300.
The change will allow people participating in racing at Legacy Downs to keep horses on site as opposed to temporarily housing horses in places like Fonner Park, which was done for previous meets, McNally said.
The administration building will include offices for the horsemen’s association and the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission along with an area for jockeys to shower and get ready, McNally said.
McNally said the association had always planned to build permanent buildings with the ability to host a full meet. The association hopes to have the additions done before its live meet in the spring.
Reach the writer at nfranklin@journalstar.com or 402-473-7391.
On Twitter @NealHFranklin
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