Warhorse could fit only 433 slot machines in its temporary casino, inside a former simulcast facility, and it has no blackjack tables or other table games. Revenue has been limited, Sage said, by space. But, he said, the total gaming taxes paid so far have held steady at between $150,000 and $200,000 per week. Tom Sage, the executive director of the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, said he had no expectation of how much the new casino would generate. In the gaming revenue report released Monday by the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, Lancaster County and the City of Lincoln received about $143,000 each since the WarHorse Casino opened Sept.

That fund reduces a portion of local property tax bills.Īnother 25% of gaming taxes are split evenly between the host county and host city for a casino. An estimate from the fiscal office of the Nebraska Legislature was higher, projecting the property tax relief take at $91 million by 2022-23 if six casinos were open.Ĭasinos are required to pay 20% of their gross gambling revenue in state gaming taxes, with 70% of that money going to the state’s long-running Property Tax Credit Fund.

Supporters projected that $45.5 million a year would be generated for property tax relief, according to the Omaha World-Herald. Reducing Nebraska’s long-griped-about property taxes was one of the leading selling points for legalizing gambling casinos, which voters approved in 2020. “Lincoln has incredible potential,” he said. Lincoln, for instance, doesn’t have the casino gaming tradition of Omaha, which has had legalized casinos in nearby Council Bluffs for years, so the opportunity for growth in the Capital City is much greater, according to Morgan. Lance Morgan, president and CEO of Ho-Chunk, Inc., parent company of WarHorse Gaming. (Courtesy of Ho-Chunk Inc.) Lance Morgan, the president and CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc., which operates the WarHorse Casino, said Monday he thinks that gaming revenue for property tax relief will exceed initial estimates and be around $100 million a year. “It was very important to us to start contributing to that property tax relief fund.” Revenue projected higher “We’re really pleased at the way it’s been received,” said Lynne McNally, the CEO of the state’s horsemen’s association. LINCOLN - Nebraska’s first gambling casino has contributed nearly $800,000 to a state property tax relief fund so far, including $597,854 during the month of October, a state report indicated Monday.Īnd officials with the WarHorse Casino expect that gaming tax revenues will steadily grow as they begin advertising and marketing the temporary facility at the Lincoln Race Course on the southwest edge of Lincoln.

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