WarHorse Casino brings sports betting to Omaha for first time
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - For the first time ever, Husker fans will be able to bet on the Big Red right at home in Omaha.
Wednesday marks the first day of legal sports betting in the city. Nebraska state law doesn’t allow betting on Nebraska home games, but this week, the Huskers are in East Lansing to take on Michigan State.
For right now, sports gambling is going on in a temporary setup on the infield of the horse racing track at WarHorse Casino in Omaha, while the rest of the facility is under construction.
Inside, there’s a lot of activity.
“We’ve got 10 kiosks that are self-serve, so you should be able to get in and out pretty efficiently,” said Lynne McNally, the CEO of the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. “If you don’t want to use the self-serve machines, we’ve got a couple of tellers ready and happy to help.”
Betting will be totally integrated with simulcasting, so horse racing and sports betting will be in the same area of the casino.
WarHorse officials are excited to get Nebraska into the sports betting game and keep those betting slip dollars within state borders.
They tell 6 News people will be able to wager on all kinds of sports competitions.
“You can bet on cricket, tennis, rugby, international soccer, we’ll have it here,” said Lance Morgan, the President and CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc. “And if we don’t, you can access it through our partner, because our partner is from England. If there’s a demand for something, we have to get it authorized by the state, but I don’t think that will be a problem.”
But what people can’t do right now, unlike in Iowa, is bet remotely. Everyone wishing to place a wager must do so in person at WarHorse Casino.
Money was laid down on the state’s first sports wager at the WarHorse Casino in Lincoln back in June.
The Winnebago Tribe owns WarHorse, and officials say the casino and sports betting will help build housing and provide jobs to members of the tribe.
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