Hastings Racino Operator to Move Racing License to Western Nebraska

Hastings Exposition and Racing, the group which operates horse races in Hastings, has cancelled the plans to open a horse racing casino in this Nebraska city. According to KSNB, the group operated by Brian Becker plans to move the racing license to Ogallala in Western Nebraska.

2024 Racino Launch:

According to the source, Hastings Exposition and Racing group has already submitted a 2024 racing license application to the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission indicating the group’s intention to launch a multi-track Quarter Horse ”racino” in Ogallala instead of Hastings. The company reportedly intends to partner with Elite Casino Resorts in building a 174-acre racetrack and casino site in the Western Nebraska city. The same source reports that the value of the development is estimated at $100 million.

Hastings Location Repealed:

The decision to move the license to another site comes after the Hastings City Council repealed in January the measure passed to allow a casino and racing facility in north Hastings. Instead, the council awarded the permit to Prairie Thunder LLC and West Fork, Inc. to use the property for a racing facility. A Hastings city spokesperson reportedly shortly said that the casino was a business decision.

The group therefore decided to apply for the racing license for the Ogallala site. According to Nebraska Examiner, Brian Jorde, the Hastings company’s spokesman said that the company is awaiting the commission to “get that teed up and approved [and] get going.”

Jorde reportedly also said that the move will be “doing everyone a favor” as the group will expand in the region that seems neglected by the industry.  As Nebraska Examiner reports, Jorde said: “Western Nebraska always gets shut out. Our plan is to get this up and going in Ogallala and then get up and going in Gering and have a Quarter Horse circuit between the two locations.”

$100 Million Project:

As indicated above, Hastings Exposition and Racing and its partner Elite Casino Resorts intend to build a 5/8 mile track with up to 400 stalls just south of Interstate 80 near Ogallala. The facility will also feature a casino resort with a 180-room hotel and a gaming space which will include 640 slots, 20 gaming tables, and a poker room, as KSNB reports. The same source reports that the new Ogallala resort will be named Lake Mac Casino Resort and Racetrack.

If the Hastings Exposition and Racing group is awarded the racing license by the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission after the recent developments, the group and its partner may be able to launch the Ogallala project soon to bring casino gambling in Western Nebraska, after the state reportedly widely approved casino gambling in 2020.