Temporary casino construction to start after Nebraska State Fair
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Construction of a temporary casino at Grand Island's Fonner Park is expected to start in September, following the Nebraska State Fair.
Fonner Park Chief Executive Officer Chris Kotulak gave an update to Grand Island Noon Rotary Club Tuesday on the upcoming "Grand Island Casino Resort" planned for the campus, via Elite Casino Resorts.
The plan is to "get started as soon as we can after the fair," said Kotulak.
The state fair ends on Labor Day, Sept. 5.
"Two days after, we're going to start the demo in the concourse area," he said.
Kotulak showed a layout of the racetrack's concourse area, which will host the temporary casino.
"The plan is to get the slot machines up and running, and as we draw closer to when the resort would be open, the permanent casino and hotel, when that gets ready to be opened that's when they'll probably fold-in some of the table games. Or, they'll just do it right off the bat," he explained.
The temporary casino is expected to open around Thanksgiving 2022. It will be operational for "at least two years."
"All along, we said we're not going to just open up some metal shed and throw in some slots and call it done," said Kotulak. "We want people to have as good a customer experience as they can without the final result."
A 30-second commercial for the temporary casino will start airing soon, Kotulak announced. It was shown to the club.
The spot declares, "Get ready, Nebraska! Grand Island Casino Resorts temporary casino is coming soon to Fonner Park! Get in on the action!"
The temporary casino will boast 300 slot machines, live table games and "the thrill of winning."
Job applications are being accepted through grandislandresort.com.
Construction of the permanent casino will take place after 2023 state fair, following the racing season, a slate of events and livestock shows, and planned infrastructure improvements to the campus grounds, said Kotulak.
A five-story hotel is planned for over the casino, to be located to the north side of existing clubhouse. The casino will have gaming on the main floor, and over that an indoor/outdoor pool area with "biergarten."
Vince Fiala, who has worked for Elite Casinos for 14 years, was named as general manager in April 2021.
Casino gambling was legalized by the Nebraska Legislature in November 2020.
Kotulak called the coming resort "a very big thing."
"In the last couple of months, it's become more of a reality that this is going to happen," he said. "There were a lot of uncertainties with the legislation that we needed to help shore up this new industry in our state. It took quite a bit of help."
The project has also been affected by supply chain issues and rising costs due to inflation. Plans have also undergone some changes.
"At one time, we were thinking there would be a temporary facility that would be built on the north end of the racetrack, completely independent of the building," he said. "That has since been scrubbed."
A benefit for the racetrack is that, with the casino revenue, Fonner Park will be able to boost purses for its races and to host more horses.
The facility can support up to 1,000 horses. In recent years, it's hosted about 750.
"Back in the 70s and 80s, our stable area was full and people were stabling their horses off the grounds and just haul in to run that day. There might have been 1,200 horses fighting to get in and race here. It's not that way anymore," said Kotulak.
Asked if the casino will "help or hurt" pari-mutuel wagering at the track, Kotulak said, with the slot machines, they are budgeting to "take a hit."
"We don't know exactly how that's going to feel," he said, "because what we'll lose out of our mutuel handle, with the deal we made with Elite, that's going to help us with our revenue, so we'll be able to put that back into purse money and if we have greater purse money we're going to have more horses and fuller fields, so that will help."
Also a benefit, he said, is the casino will help expose more people to the racetrack.
