Lynne McNally, CEO of the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, told the commission that she expects the Lincoln WarHorse expansion to be completed in early November, “but the construction people won’t admit it yet.” McNally expects an opening date to be set at the commission’s October meeting.

The Lincoln expansion will double the size of the facility and create additional table games along the north side.

“Right now, the shell is essentially complete,” she said. “The soffits are completely finished. They’re installing the mezzanine floor so they can start putting data and power under the floor. They’re tiling the restrooms and bar area. They’re starting construction on the cash room and vault.”

McNally said the expanded south side of the facility is “almost completely finished” but will need to be sealed off until the north side is finished.

“Since they can’t get planning permission for this until they get one for the north side, they plan to seal it off for two months, leave it pristine and then tear down the wall as a last resort,” she said.

The parking lot is complete, grandstands and outdoor food stands are being installed on the east side of the track, and they are waiting for the city to install new street lights at the South First Street entrance.

Aside from the damage to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems that forced the Omaha WarHorse casino to close for about nine hours on August 15, McNally said they are satisfied with how things have gone so far.

“They had to shut the system down completely and within an hour it was about 90 degrees in the building,” McNally said. “So they decided to just close down. The problem was that (the HVAC system) had contaminated 4,000 gallons of glycol, which they then had to pump out of the system to find 4,000 gallons of new glycol, which you can’t just get at the store. So the fact that they reopened so quickly was pretty amazing.”

Construction of the second phase of the facility is underway, which will also double the size of the Omaha facility.

“This includes the new restaurant offerings, the sports bar, an additional gaming area, the second floor smoking area and all of the administrative offices,” McNally said. “We still expect to open this phase in late April, so hopefully we will make efficient progress.”

McNally said the entire second phase of construction will be done in-house, meaning bad winter weather should not affect the schedule.

Commissioner Janell Beveridge asked if McNally was satisfied with the number of visitors to the Omaha Casino.

“Very pleased,” said McNally. “The attendance has been great. On the other hand, we’ve been keeping an eye on the other three facilities across the river and they seem to be pretty badly affected, which we’re very pleased about. So we’re very pleased with the overall performance.”

A 2021 study by Spectrum Gaming Group projected that Council Bluffs casinos could lose $183.9 million in adjusted gross revenue to Nebraska once Nebraska casinos ramp up to full operations.

“I talk to people as I go in and out, and several people have said to me, ‘You know, we’re pretty loyal customers across the river, but only because there wasn’t an option in Nebraska,'” McNally said. “‘We’re going to keep the money in Nebraska.'”

In addition to the updates to the WarHorse casino, the commission on Friday unanimously approved nine new sports leagues to bet on, including Lights Out Xtreme Fighting, MotoGP motorcycle racing, World Rugby, the National Hot Rod Association, and Swedish and Norwegian professional soccer.

The commission also approved extended hours for certain holidays for the Elite Casino Resort on Grand Island.

“On Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and through New Year’s Day, they hope to be open 24 hours a day on those days,” said Casey Ricketts, interim executive director of the NRGC.

Before adjourning the meeting, NRGC Chairman Dennis Lee praised Columbus Exposition and Racing for introducing live horse racing at Harrah’s Columbus last week.

Lee said he and Ricketts held a conference call with stakeholders on Monday, Aug. 12, “to make sure we’re on the same page regarding Friday’s opening.”

“I can tell you without hesitation that the answers Casey and I got on that phone call on Monday were exactly what we wanted to hear, but more importantly, they paid off in the end,” Lee said. “Before that phone call, there was some concern about a potential Friday opening. But it was, things were done and completed. And there were some hurdles, as with any new project. And I wanted to formally thank Harrah’s and CER … for all of their help in moving the ball forward and getting this done.”

The NRGC will not meet in September. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for October 11.