Elite Casino Resorts opens Nebraska’s first fully-fledged casino with Grand Island Casino Resort
Elite Casino Resorts has celebrated opening Nebraska’s first full-scale casino with the opening of the $185m Grand Island Casino Resort, opened at Fonner Park, with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
It has opened with 750 slot machines, 20 table games, and Nebraska’s first live poker room, along with a hotel with 162 rooms and an outdoor deck overlooking the Fonner Park horse track.
Dan Kehl, CEO of Elite Casino Resorts, said: “This new resort is more than just a casino. It’s a place where people will gather to dine, celebrate, enjoy live entertainment and yes, cheer on the horses from our outdoor entertainment deck. It’s a place that honors the past, and it’s going to embrace the future.”
Vince Fiala, General Manager of the Grand Island Casino Resort, said: “Today we celebrate the grand opening of Grand Island Casino Resort,” said Fiala. “Fonner Park chose us as a partner. There were a lot of meetings and presentations, but we knew they were the right partners for us and they knew we’d be the right partners for them.”
Grand Island Mayor Roger Steele highlighted that the project provided permanent jobs across operations, with an estimated annual payroll of $13.6m annually. During construction, over 877 workers from 77 different contractors and vendors were involved.
“The Grand Island Casino Resorts represents more than just a new attraction,” Mayor Steele said. “It symbolizes our new growth and vitality with more than four hundred new jobs being created.”
