Ogallala, NE

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Ogallala joins with Fonner Park in bid for western Nebraska casino

If the Nebraska Legislature ever decides to allow casinos at new horse racing tracks, Ogallala is ready. The Ogallala City Council and Keith County Board of Commissioners earlier this week approved plans for a $100 million project that would be built by the same gaming company that's building a casino at Fonner Park in Grand Island.

Elite Casino Resorts says the proposed project, which would be called Lake Mac Casino Resort & Racetrack, would have a casino with 650 slot machines, 20 table games, six poker tables, a sportsbook and a show lounge that would provide local and regional entertainment on the weekend.

It also would include a racetrack with a 5/8-mile oval, a 120-room hotel, 10,000 square feet of convention and event space, an RV park and a "high-end" truck stop. The proposed project is similar in size and scope to one Elite plans to build at the Grand Island track. “We are excited about this partnership. This project will be a catalyst to help additional economic development in our community," Jeremy Smith, president of local nonprofit LMRC Inc., said in a news release. "We feel we have the full package with our location, the quality of the project to be developed, and the experience in gaming and racetracks with our partners."



The same company that plans to build a casino at Fonner Park in Grand Island, shown here, has proposed building one in Ogallala, if the state eventually allows new horse racing tracks with casinos.
COURTESY PHOTO

Grand Island Casino Resort at Fonner Park architect layout. April 9th 2021

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Fonner would be managing partner of an Ogallala racetrack casino

If a casino and racetrack are built down the road in more ways than one, Grand Island’s Fonner Park will be managing partner of that facility. In late June, the Ogallala City Council and Keith County Board of Commissioners supported the idea of a $100 million resort complex that would be built with the involvement of Elite Casino Resorts, Kehl Management and Fonner Park. Elite Casino Resorts, based in Iowa, is the casino partner for the planned Grand Island Casino Resort at Fonner Park. Elite Casino Resorts is owned by the Kehl family.

Elite invited Fonner to be involved in a casino-racetrack project in the Ogallala area, said Fonner Park Chief Executive Officer Chris Kotulak. If there is to be an additional race track license “granted in Nebraska years down the road, I would expect that to be in either North Platte or Ogallala,” Kotulak said Wednesday. “And Ogallala makes abundantly more sense of a location than North Platte because of all of their tourism that they generate from eastern Colorado.”


Elite Casino Resorts will build and operate the planned Grand Island Casino Resort at Fonner Park.
COURTESY ELITE CASINO RESORTS

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12-14-2022 Ogallala, NE - Digging Out As Ground Blizzard Begins

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Western Nebraska casino possible
as plans announced for a racing license in Ogallala

LINCOLN — Western Nebraska may soon offer casino gambling with a move announced Tuesday to transfer a racing license in Hastings to Ogallala. Hastings Exposition and Racing, Inc., which possesses the racing license, announced it has submitted an application to the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission surrounding the move. Brian Jorde, spokesman for the Hastings company, said they are excited for the commission to “get that teed up and approved so we can get going.”

The Hastings company said it plans to establish a multi-track quarter horse racing circuit and partner with Elite Casino Resorts. Elite Casino owns the Grand Island Casino resort and would invest $100 million in the racetrack and casino — these are referred to as ”racinos.” The 174-acre site would be called the Lake Mac Casino Resort and Racetrack, potentially capitalizing on tourism to Lake McConaughy.