Abbie Chadwick
Yesterday, WarHorse Casino announced that their sportsbook would become fully operational as of Thursday this week. Casino officials explained that Nebraskans would have the opportunity to wager at the sportsbook on all sporting events approved by the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission. WarHorse Casino in Lincoln also features 10 kiosks where punters can place wagers.
WarHorse Casino has joined forces with Kambi Group to ensure its sportsbook can correspond to the preferences of all punters. The gambling venue has decided to take advantage of Jason Johnston’s expertise, who worked as a sportsbook manager at BetMGM.
The launch of WarHorse Casino’s sportsbook marks the debut of the sports betting industry in Nebraska. Lance Morgan, Chief Executive Officer of Ho-Chunk Inc., the parent company of WarHorse Gaming LLC., said that Nebraskans have been hoping that they will be able to wager on sports since 2020. He did not hide his excitement that WarHorse Casino would be the first gambling venue to offer sports betting services in the state.
Under Nebraska’s law, punters are allowed to place only in-person wagers. They must be onsite at the casino to wager on a sporting event. But WarHorse Casino also offers an app that allows sports fans to build their wagers in advance. Lance Morgan said that bettors would have the chance to wager on plenty of major professional sports leagues, such as Major League Baseball and the National Football League.
Sports Betting Expected to Increase Tax Collections in Nebraska
Sports betting is expected to boost Nebraska’s gambling revenues, which have experienced a significant drop in recent months. Figures released by the Racing and Gaming Commission show that WarHorse Lincoln and Grand Island Casino Resort produced a total of $1.3 million in gaming taxes in May, which was the lowest since January.
Both gambling venues have experienced a tax decline since their record-breaking results in March. But WarHorse Casino’s sportsbook and the upcoming opening of Harrah’s Casino at Ag Park in Columbus are expected to revive the industry and increase tax collections. The Grand Island and Columbus casinos also consider adding sportsbooks soon.
In mid-May, Nebraska’s gaming regulator approved a catalog of sports, which lays out the sports state residents can wager on. Sportsbooks can accept wagers on major sports leagues and professional bull riding, rodeo, tennis, golf, and motorsports. Nebraskans can also wager on college sports, including football, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, water polo, swimming, and field hockey.
The catalog, however, does not include international sports. Tom Sage, Executive Director of the Racing and Gaming Commission, explained that the gambling regulator wanted to start slowly to ensure it could handle the betting activity. Sage added that the gambling regulator did not exclude the option of adding more sports to the catalog.