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ebraska’s Fonner Park officials said Friday they have chosen Iowa-based Elite Casino Resorts to develop a $100 million casino resort complex at the horse racing track, which will be named Grand Island Casino Resort at Fonner Park.
Elite plans a casino with 650 slot machines and 20 table games, as well as a VIP lounge, sportsbook and show lounge. It also will construct a 116-room boutique hotel with indoor and outdoor pools and a spa and salon.
The casino resort will be integrated into the existing Fonner Park complex, home of the Nebraska State Fair, and also will include several restaurants, Lincoln Journal Star reports. Officials from Elite, which operates casinos in Iowa City, Davenport and Larchwood, Iowa, said they plan to hire nearly 400 people for the operation. They said Grand Island Casino Resort would create around 370 jobs and 80 percent of those would be full time positions.
Of the $100 million investment, $45 million will be spent on new construction and about $3.5 million will be spent on upgrades to the existing Fonner Park. Officials did not give a timeline for construction or when the casino will open, but it is expected to open as soon as next year.
Fonner Park CEO Chris Kotulak said the process to select an operator started five months ago when they started taking proposals on November 6, 2020. They received nine responses to requests and met with eight operators with what they proposed. “I had an image in my mind, both architecturally, operationally and a mindset of what I thought would be a good fit for Fonner Park and Grand Island. Elite Casino Resorts quickly rose to the top among our impressive list of candidates,” Kotulak said.
Karlyn Ollendick, a former Iowa regulator is part of the Elite Casinos team, something they think will help them navigate the process as Nebraska sets up its regulatory framework.
“I think the presentation and company and the goals and plans exceeded what many of us were thinking or solidified what some of us were thinking or didn’t know,” said Chamber of Commerce President Cindy Johnson.
The Fonner Park casino is the third to be announced publicly since Nebraskans voted last year to allow casino gambling at the state’s horse racing tracks. WarHorse Gaming, a subsidiary of the Winnebago Tribe’s Ho-Chunk Inc., in January unveiled plans for a $200 million casino resort at Lincoln Race Track that will include 1,200 gaming stations, a spa, restaurant, bars and conference and event space, as well as a 196-room hotel. WarHorse said it hopes to have the casino completed and fully operational sometime next year.
The company also has announced plans for a $200 million Omaha casino at Horsemen’s Park. WarHorse is also expected to build a casino at Atokad in South Sioux City.
