The Grand Island Casino Resort recently got the green light to provide table games in Nebraska from a state panel. The gaming operator will introduce Las Vegas-style games, thus starting a new era in the Cornhusker State’s gambling industry.
Vince Fiala(L), Grand Island Casino Resort General Manager, witnessed the casino’s workers enlisting in dealer school to prepare for the new table games.
The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission (NRGC) accepted the casino’s application to provide craps, roulette. Therefore, it will be the first gaming property in the country to offer table games.
The NRGC discussed its request on August 18, 2023, in a meeting in which its commissioners reviewed the gambling issues which residents approved in 2020.
Dennis Lee, NRGC’s Chairman, commented on the commission’s move as being historic. Moreover, Grand Island is the second Nebraska property that accepts sports wagers, and it will start receiving them on August 23.
Lincoln’s WarHorse Casino started offering sports gambling in June, and it was the first operator in the region. Still, it has focused a lot of late on hiring and training dealers for its tables.
Sharon Haselhoff, Elite Casino Resorts’ Regional Vice President, stated that they intend to launch Elite Sportsbooks. It will comprise two sports windows for in-person gambling and two kiosks. The state’s gambling law needs gamblers to place sports bets in betting kiosks at legal racetracks in person.
More About the State’s Gambling Sector
The NRGC disclosed that the state’s gaming tax revenue in July was more than its June revenue. It currently has three casinos in Columbus, Grand Island, and Lincoln, which raked in over $1.54 million in tax revenue last month, almost $200,000 higher than their June tax.
The gaming commission stated that local casinos paid over $9.7 million in taxes. Reports indicate that the new sports gambling and table games era will affect other types of gambling.
For example, a charitable quarterly report was released recently indicating that the number of wagers on local raffles, bingo, pickle cards, and keno dropped by 10.6 percent compared to the previous quarter. Still, it was 2 percent less than the same quarter in 2022.
Bill Harvey from Big Red Keno stated that casinos have caused a sharp decrease in such wagers. Besides, gaming regulators are interested in gambling programs that will protect athletes from scandals. Some of them have taken several preventive measures.
Jim Brown, Integrity Services & Athlete Wellbeing’s Head of Security, stated that Colorado is the only American state with an active betting athlete program.
He commended the NRGC and referred to it as being proactive if it will successfully create a local athlete well-being program.
The state currently prohibits online sports bets. Thus, players have to wager at licensed sites.
No one can play outside the state and wager on its teams. Yet, some communities have applied for racetrack applications. The gambling commission contracted Innovation Group to help it determine if it is appropriate to issue extra racetrack licenses.
