{"id":357195,"date":"2025-08-19T16:09:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T16:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/357195\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T16:09:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T16:09:12","slug":"lake-mac-casino-resort-racetrack-opens-in-ogallala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/357195\/","title":{"rendered":"Lake Mac Casino Resort &#038; Racetrack opens in Ogallala"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A project years in the making officially opens its doors Tuesday as the <strong>Lake Mac Casino Resort &amp; Racetrack<\/strong> welcomes guests with a ribbon cutting, horse races, and a celebration of what leaders call a historic investment in western Nebraska.<\/p>\n<p>The $31.2 million facility includes a <strong>new racetrack<\/strong> and a <strong>temporary casino<\/strong> featuring 333 slot machines, including 24 electronic table games. The site also houses the Draft Days Sports Lounge, offering sports wagering, simulcast betting, and a full food and beverage menu. Plans call for future additions including a hotel, additional restaurants, and an event center.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is an exciting, epic day,\u201d said <strong>Sharon Haselhoff<\/strong>, Regional Vice President of Elite Casino Resorts and General Manager of Grand Falls Casino &amp; Golf Resort. \u201cWe\u2019re opening the gates to the track, the doors to the casino, and showing everyone what we have to offer. It\u2019s an amazing day and a historic event here in Keith County.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Economic Boost and Job Growth<\/p>\n<p>The opening also marks a significant investment in local jobs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor our temporary casino, we\u2019ll employ about 125 people, and as we expand into a full resort that number will grow closer to 400,\u201d said <strong>Tom Frank<\/strong>, General Manager of the Lake Mac Casino Resort &amp; Racetrack. \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of opportunity for advancement. I started as a part-time bartender and now I\u2019m a general manager \u2014 this industry creates pathways for people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Frank said the location is a natural fit for a casino and racetrack. \u201cWith Lake McConaughy nearby, Interstate 80 traffic, and access from surrounding states, Ogallala is already a destination. This project builds on that momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Quarter Horse Racing Returns<\/p>\n<p>Horse racing was front and center during opening day, beginning with a Nebraska-bred race followed by two additional quarter horse races. Horses and trainers traveled from states including Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Kansas to compete.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re fully dedicated to quarter horse racing here at Lake Mac,\u201d said <strong>Cynthia Smith<\/strong>, Director of Racing. \u201cQuarter horse racing is an American pastime, and it\u2019s exciting to bring it back to western Nebraska. The horses are athletes, and we\u2019re proud to share them with the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith added that the Nebraska-bred program is a key piece of the racetrack\u2019s future. \u201cThis opens new doors for Nebraska horsemen and ties directly to agriculture. We\u2019re already seeing the economic ripple effect in feed stores, farms, and local businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Special Promotions<\/p>\n<p>Opening day also came with giveaways and special promotions:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A free barbecue for the first 1,000 guests, catered by Oolie\u2019s in Paxton<\/li>\n<li>Lake Mac t-shirts for visitors<\/li>\n<li>Up to <strong>$1,000 in free slot play<\/strong> for new Resort Club members<\/li>\n<li><strong>Refer-a-friend bonus<\/strong>: $10 free slot play for both the new member and their friend<\/li>\n<li>A chance to win a share of <strong>$5,000 in free slot play<\/strong> by joining the eClub before October 19<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Haselhoff noted the broader significance of the project. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cBetween Ogallala and our property in Grand Island, this represents a quarter of a billion dollar investment in Nebraska. We\u2019re here for the long haul and committed to reinvesting in this community and the state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This content is part of a paid partnership with Lake Mac Casino Resort &amp; Racetrack.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A project years in the making officially opens its doors Tuesday as the Lake Mac Casino Resort &amp;&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":357196,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4107],"tags":[1071,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-357195","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-racing","8":"tag-racing","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115056303396729855","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=357195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/357196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=357195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=357195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=357195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}