Temporary casino construction in Grand Island to start after Nebraska State Fair

Construction of a temporary casino at Grand Island’s Fonner Park is expected to start in September, following the Nebraska State Fair.

Fonner Park Chief Executive Officer Chris Kotulak gave an update to the Grand Island Noon Rotary Club Tuesday on the upcoming “Grand Island Casino Resort” planned for the campus, via Elite Casino Resorts.

The plan is to “get started as soon as we can after the fair,” said Kotulak.

The state fair ends on Labor Day, Sept. 5.

“Two days after, we’re going to start the demo in the concourse area,” he said.

Kotulak showed a layout of the racetrack’s concourse area, which will host the temporary casino.

“The plan is to get the slot machines up and running, and as we draw closer to when the resort would be open, the permanent casino and hotel, when that gets ready to be opened that’s when they’ll probably fold in some of the table games. Or they’ll just do it right off the bat,” he explained.

The temporary casino is expected to open around Thanksgiving. It will be operational for “at least two years.”

“All along, we said we’re not going to just open up some metal shed and throw in some slots and call it done,” said Kotulak. “We want people to have as good a customer experience as they can without the final result.”

A 30-second commercial for the temporary casino will start airing soon, Kotulak announced. It was shown to the club.

The spot declares, “Get ready, Nebraska! Grand Island Casino Resorts temporary casino is coming soon to Fonner Park! Get in on the action!”

The temporary casino will have 300 slot machines, live table games and “the thrill of winning.”

Job applications are being accepted through grandislandresort.com.

Construction of the permanent casino will take place after 2023 state fair, following the racing season, a slate of events and livestock shows and planned infrastructure improvements to the campus grounds, said Kotulak.

A five-story hotel is planned for over the casino, to be located to the north of the existing clubhouse. The casino will have gaming on the main floor, and over that will be an indoor/outdoor pool area with a “biergarten.”

Vince Fiala, who has worked for Elite Casinos for 14 years, was named as general manager in April 2021.

Nebraska voters authorized expanded casino gambling in the state through a trio of ballot measures in 2020.

The Grand Island facility is one of six initial casino projects expected to move forward in Nebraska. Projects have already broken ground at horse tracks in Omaha and Lincoln, both of which intend to operate temporary casinos.

Kotulak called the coming resort “a very big thing.”

“In the last couple of months, it’s become more of a reality that this is going to happen,” he said. “There were a lot of uncertainties with the legislation that we needed to help shore up this new industry in our state. It took quite a bit of help.”

The project has also been affected by supply chain issues and rising costs due to inflation. Plans have also undergone some changes.

“At one time, we were thinking there would be a temporary facility that would be built on the north end of the racetrack, completely independent of the building,” he said. “That has since been scrubbed.”

A benefit for the racetrack is that, with the casino revenue, Fonner Park will be able to boost purses for its races and host more horses.

The facility can support up to 1,000 horses. In recent years, it’s hosted about 750.

“Back in the ’70s and ’80s, our stable area was full and people were stabling their horses off the grounds and just haul in to run that day. There might have been 1,200 horses fighting to get in and race here. It’s not that way anymore,” said Kotulak.

Asked if the casino will “help or hurt” pari-mutuel wagering at the track, Kotulak said, with the slot machines, they are budgeting to “take a hit.”

“We don’t know exactly how that’s going to feel,” he said, “because what we’ll lose out of our mutuel handle, with the deal we made with Elite, that’s going to help us with our revenue, so we’ll be able to put that back into purse money, and if we have greater purse money we’re going to have more horses and fuller fields, so that will help.”

The 20 best movies that take place in casinos

Best movies that take place in casinos

The flashing lights, the sirens, the hum of conversation, and the thrill of placing a bet are all part of the allure of casinos. While gambling has been around for centuries, casinos began popping up in Italy in the 17th century. The Casino di Venezia, which opened in 1638 in Venice, is the world’s oldest casino, though it was originally known as Theatre Saint Moses. It offered guests the opportunity to gamble during theatrical production intermissions.By the 19th century, casinos appeared all over Europe. In the United States, towns like Las Vegas and Reno in Nevada, and Atlantic City in New Jersey, became known for casinos and the infamous ties held to organized crime. Gambling itself had a reputation as a vice that could lead to other bad habits.Hollywood’s own obsession with casinos has a long history as well. Classic film “Casablanca” features a casino as part of Rick Blaine’s nightclub. Throughout the next several decades, directors like Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Soderbergh tried their hand at movies about the appeal of gambling and the casinos that supported the lifestyle.OLBG researched the history of casinos on screen and put together a list of 20 of the best casino films. To be included, movies had to have important scenes take place in a casino, and the film had to have at least a 6.0 on IMDb or a 65 on Metacritic. Universal Pictures

#20. ‘Casino Jack’ (2010) - Director: George Hickenlooper- IMDb user rating: 6.2- Metascore: 51- Runtime: 108 minutesThis fictionalized retelling of a true story stars Kevin Spacey as Jack Abramoff, a corrupt Washington D.C. lobbyist motivated by greed and power. Abramoff and his partner Michael Scanlon stole funds from Native American casinos all while twisting laws for their convenience. In a nod to the 1996 film “Jerry Maguire,” one scene finds Scanlon and Abramoff screaming, “Show me the money!” Actress Kelly Preston who plays Abramoff’s wife in the film played Maguire’s former girlfriend as well. ATO Pictures #19. ‘Ocean’s Twelve’ (2004)

- Director: Steven Soderbergh- IMDb user rating: 6.5- Metascore: 58- Runtime: 125 minutesThe sequel to “Ocean’s Eleven” finds Danny Ocean adding a partner to his band of thieves as they work together to pull off several European heists. Steven Soderbergh directed not only this second film in what would be a trilogy, but all three “Ocean’s” installments. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Elliot Gould, and Bruce Willis not only starred in the film, but they also had another thing in common—they were all guest stars on the sitcom “Friends.” Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. #18. ‘Ocean’s 11’ (1960)