Nebraska’s Grand Island Casino Approved for New Gambling Options and Sports Betting
A new era in Nebraska’s state-sanctioned gambling began last week. On Friday, the state commission approved the Grand Island Casino Resort’s application to expand its casino gaming offer.
The Grand Island Casino Resort applied to offer certain casino games such as craps, roulette and a variety of other table games. The latter included several titles and variants of blackjack, Texas Hold’em, and even slot machines around the casino floor.
Regarding tables, one was approved for craps, one for roulette, and five will now be devoted to blackjack. The new offer will include one Texas Hold’em and over 40 slot machines. That will now bring the casino’s slot machines count to over 330.
The casino’s request also included a petition to add sports betting options to their new expansion offer. The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission also approved the bid. This will be Nebraska’s second racetrack casino, where local state residents can place bets on horse racing.
The commission approved the inclusion of soccer betting as part of the sports on the list to be offered by the operation. The inclusion came just in time for the Women’s World Cup final this weekend, with Spain beating England for its first championship.
According to Sharon Hasselhoff, regional vice president of Elite Casino Resorts, the sports betting operations will begin at the Grand Island casino on Wednesday. On paper, two physical kiosks and two sports windows for in-person betting will be available at the Elite Sportsbook when it kicks off.
The designated sports wagering area at the licensed racetrack enclosure is where bets must be made by Nebraska law, either in person or at a betting kiosk. While more casino games and sports betting operations are approved in the state, racetrack licenses are also expected to be approved.
The state has approved a 12-week study to evaluate the feasibility of expanding horse racing betting operations. Legislators demanded that the commission conduct more thorough studies before more listens are approved. That implies that recent petitions submitted for licenses will be automatically placed on hold.
While sports betting has officially started at the Grand Island Casino, the offer has been active since June at the WarHorse Casino in Lincoln. However, according to Lynne McNally, chief executive officer of Nebraska Horsemen, Omaha still needs to have the service in place.
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