Table games coming to casino

Jun 20, 2023

The temporary casino, which includes 300 slot machines, has more than 100 employees.

The Grand Island Casino Resort could become the first one in the state with table games later this month, and it also plans to open a sportsbook.

The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission will consider the casino's request at its Aug. 18 meeting, and if it votes in favor of the plan, the casino could open its expanded gaming area that same day.

Plans are to add one craps game, one roulette game, five blackjack games and one ultimate Texas hold-em game.

The latter is a poker game "but it's still a blackjack game. It's not like a regular poker game where you play against all the other players. You're playing against the dealer," said Vince Fiala, general manager of Grand Island Casino Resort.

The casino will also add 46 slot machines, bringing its total to 336.

Aug. 18 should also bring an expanded food and beverage area.

"We'll have roughly 50 seats in there. We'll have a little stage for entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights," Fiala said. Performances will include two- and three-piece bands.

Grand Island Casino Resort General Manager Vince Fiala (left) watches as employees at dealer school practiced using table games earlier this month. The Nebraska Racing & Gaming Commission approved the casino for table games on Friday.

With the expanded food and beverage area, patrons will be able to order burgers, chicken strips, fries and omelets. The current food operation serves sandwiches, pizza, hot dogs and nachos.

When the expanded area opens, there will be restrooms on the casino floor. And they will be nice ones, Fiala said.

He said that will be good news for casino patrons, who have to leave the gaming area to use the bathroom and then show their ID again when they return.

The expanded gaming area will be south of the current temporary casino. Both are in the concourse area at Fonner Park.

Fiala is hopeful that the Racing and Gaming Commission also will approve the casino's sports book at its Aug. 18 meeting.

If the commission gives the go-ahead, the sportsbook will open "right before college football, probably about Aug. 24," Fiala said.

Workers are getting the kiosks and windows ready, he said.

Right now, the only casino in Nebraska with a sports book is WarHorse Casino in Lincoln, which opened its operation in June.

The Grand Island casino plans to hold a groundbreaking for its permanent casino the first week of October, and Fiala said that if everything goes as planned, it could be open as early as December 2024. But that date depends on supply chain issues, labor and other variables, he said.

The Grand Island casino, like the one in Lincoln, has seen declining gambling activity over the past several months.

Fiala said this is the slow time of year in the gaming industry. People are out golfing and going to ball games. "So we slow down a little bit in the summer," he said.

Slot machines can be seen in the reflection of an odds board as sports betting kicks off in Nebraska at WarHorse Casino in Lincoln on Thursday.

Gamblers place bets on kiosks at WarHorse Casino in Lincoln on Thursday.

Winnebago Tribal Council Member Kenny Mallory, left, and Vice President of Nebraska Horsemen's Benevolent Protective Association, David Anderson, place the first ceremonial sports bet in Nebraska at WarHorse Casino in Lincoln on Thursday.

Winnebago Tribal Council Member Kenny Mallory, left, and Vice President of Nebraska Horsemen's Benevolent Protective Association, David Anderson, hold up their receipts from placing the first ceremonial sports bet in Nebraska at WarHorse Casino in Lincoln on Thursday.

A gambler uses a kiosk to place a sports bet at WarHorse Casino in Lincoln on Thursday. Bets must be placed in person at one of the kiosks or at the window.

Slot machines can be seen in the reflection of an odds board as sports betting kicks off in Nebraska at WarHorse Casino in Lincoln on Thursday.

Winnebago Tribal Council member Kenny Mallory speaks to the media after placing the first ceremonial sports bet in Nebraska at WarHorse Casino in Lincoln on Thursday. Mallory placed a bet on Wake Forest winning the College World Series.

Winnebago Tribal Council member Kenny Mallory speaks after placing the first ceremonial sports bet in Nebraska at WarHorse Casino in Lincoln on Thursday. Mallory placed a bet on Wake Forest winning the College World Series.

People leave WarHorse Casino as sports betting kicks off in Lincoln on Thursday.

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