Nebraska’s casino sector is seeing notable success, with both Lincoln’s WarHorse Casino and Grand Island Casino and Resort reporting record-breaking revenue in March.
WarHorse Casino in Lincoln marked its best month yet, raking in nearly $5.5 million in revenue, with slot machines contributing the lion’s share at almost $5.2 million. The sportsbook also had a standout month, bringing in over $325,600 in revenue, the second-highest since January.
“March Madness was good for us,” Jason Johnston, the casino’s sportsbook manager, told Lincoln Journal Star.
Similarly, Grand Island Casino and Resort saw remarkable success, with revenue hitting nearly $3.7 million, also a record month.
While the casino excelled across most of its gaming categories, sports betting took a hit for the third consecutive month, with March losses totaling just under $1,500, adding to the year-to-date deficit of over $124,000.
According to Vince Fiala, Grand Island’s general manager, the shortfall in sports betting revenue can be attributed to the limited offerings compared to other casinos. However, Fiala expressed optimism, stating: “We’d like to make some money in the sportsbook, and I think we will once we offer more bets.”
WarHorse’s success, despite betting on heavily favored teams, is attributed to its diverse betting catalog, which includes proposition bets and a wide range of sports from various countries. Johnston emphasized the importance of continually expanding options for patrons, noting the addition of soccer leagues from 15 countries and individual prop bets.
While Grand Island has access to a broad range of sports, space constraints limit its offerings. Nonetheless, the casino saw substantial earnings on other fronts as it cleared nearly $3.3 million on its slot machines, $120,000 on its electronic table games and nearly $316,000 on its physical table games.
The combined performance of the state’s four casinos, including Harrah’s in Columbus and the sportsbook operation at WarHorse in Omaha, generated a total of $2 million in gaming taxes, the highest monthly total ever recorded.