Almost six years after voters in Nebraska approved casino gambling, the first dirt was formally turned Thursday morning on the last of the six sites.
A big turnout was on hand for the formal groundbreaking at the site of what will become WarHorse South Sioux City Casino. Dirt work started last week and a spiritual ceremony was held in the days before Thursday’s event.
With the second season of racing at the new Atokad Downs race track across the street set for this weekend, Thursday’s warm and sunny morning was the perfect time to get the ball rolling for Ho-Chunk’s third casino, completing their trilogy of facilities that started with new facilities in Lincoln and Omaha.
The $100 million facility will put a 63,000-square foot imprint on Northeast Nebraska and is expected to be a go-to entertainment venue once it is completed sometime in 2028.
The facility will be built in phases and include 600 slot machines and 16 table games, along with a 100-room hotel, a 13,000-square foot conference center and an outdoor amphitheater that will have room for more than 5,500 people.
More than 230 jobs will be created at the new facility, according to Ho-Chunk CEO Lance Morgan, who celebrated his 58th birthday as part of Thursday’s ceremony.
Morgan told the Dakota County Star that the City of South Sioux City has been a fantastic partner in helping to make the new casino possible.
“South Sioux is one of the most progressive economic development communities that I've ever been around,” he said. “We do development all over the country, really all over the world. And South Sioux has been there every time and has always been super helpful. South Sioux is a community that works, and I'm proud to be here.”
South Sioux City Mayor Rod Koch said he was happy to see this opportunity come to the community and credited the efforts of Ho-Chunk, which has been involved in the community’s growth for some time.
“Lance and Ho-Chunk have been great supporters of South Sioux City. They just keep proving it over and over, and when they say they're going to do something, they do it,” he said. “The citizens of South Sioux City are going to greatly benefit from this. I'm glad they're here. I'm glad Lance is here, and we look forward to this casino being built and the horse races. We're ready to rock and roll.”
Complete coverage of Thursday’s events will be in next week’s edition of the Dakota County Star.
