Harrah's temporary casino in Columbus expected to open Monday
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According to Caesars Entertainment Regional President Todd Connelly, the transformation of part of Platte County Agricultural Park in Columbus to a casino has been incredible.
With the legalization of gambling in Nebraska, there were a limited number of places in the state that could have a casino – one of those was Columbus.
Caesars and Columbus Exposition and Racing (CER) officials have been working since 2021 to bring a casino into the Columbus community, which is set to become a reality next week.
The exhibit hall at Ag Park will be the location of this casino until the permanent facility along Highway 81 northwest of Columbus is completed. The Platte County Fair, as previously reported by The Columbus Telegram, will operate as usual next month with exhibits being moved elsewhere at the fair.
On the northwest end of town, Caesars is planning a 28,000-square-foot Harrah's casino and sportsbook with more than 500 slot machines and 14 table games and a 1-mile racetrack. CER is also developing a hotel on the land. The permanent location is expected to open in the spring of 2024.
Until then, renovations to Ag Park have been underway as updates were needed before the temporary casino can open. The temporary facility will feature more than 200 slot machines and a live-cast horse-racing betting platform.
The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission approved a gaming license for the temporary casino in May. However, a final walkthrough from state officials on Sunday will determine if the facility can officially open on Monday, June 12.
Connelly said there had been a walkthrough this past Wednesday and there were some minor things that needed fixing.
“We’ve just got to make sure that the buildings are up to what Nebraska Racing and Gaming expects, which it should be,” Connelly said. “(There are) minor little tweaks here and there with door locks and little things like that. We're working out the last few kinks but we should be ready to go hopefully by 9 a.m. on Monday.”
Connelly noted they are thrilled to be operating in Columbus and running with new staff on their team.
“It's been a long road from ‘where do you start a casino?’ – it has to go in into this building at Ag (Park) and working out a deal with that group of great individuals from Columbus,” Connelly said. “Our design and construction teams (made) it happen (from a) facility that was just a bare building; now it's an amazing casino.”
Progress is also coming along well at the Highway 81 facility, he added.
The Lincoln Journal Star reported in May that the Harrah’s Columbus facility will be the third casino to open in Nebraska and most likely the first full casino resort to open.
WarHorse Lincoln’s full casino resort is planned to open in late 2024 while construction on the permanent Grand Island casino won’t start until September and is not likely to be completed until late 2024 or early 2025.
“It's been a two-and-a-half year process to get things up and going, but we're finally at the start of bringing something spectacular to the Columbus community,” said Tom Jackson of CER.
This will be the last year that horse racing will take place at Ag Park. Next year, it should be able to be held at Harrah’s permanent facility.
Jackson said the last horse racing season at Ag Park will take place from Sept. 29 through Oct. 29. The races will be held on Saturdays and Sundays; the last weekend, it will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“We're putting a lot into it and doing it right,” Connelly said. “We've got some great expertise, and we're leaning on CER from Columbus to help us. We're going to put a great product out there and we're going to have great Nebraskan people working there. It's going to be a win-win for everybody, I believe.”
