SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (KTIV) – The local gaming market will have another competitor. Ho-Chunk, Inc. is planning to build a brand new casino in South Sioux City, Nebraska.

The initiative started four years ago when the Nebraska constitution was changed to allow for horse racing in the state. Ho-Chunk started its casino projects after the change and spearheaded projects in the Omaha and Lincoln areas.

Ho-Chunk’s subsidiary company, Warhorse Gaming, is still getting those two casinos on their feet. Right now, in South Sioux City, horse racing is done at the Atokad race track in the interim. Then the attention turns to the new casino project.

Work on the project won’t begin until the Spring of 2025. That’s when Ho-Chunk will move the current Atokad race track to the new parcel of land south of Highway 20. When it’s finished Ho-Chunk says it will be a major benefit to South Sioux City.

“We’re (Ho-Chunk) still sort of finalizing the draft, but it’ll be a modest casino by most standards,“ said Ho-Chunk Inc. CEO Lance Morgan.

An estimated $50 million, that’s how much Ho-Chunk’s latest casino venture will cost to build in South Sioux City, Nebraska. The new casino, however, would compete with a nearby tribal-owned entity.

“We don’t really want to hurt WinnaVegas. Our study shows us that most of the revenue will come from the Hard Rock,” said Morgan.

When complete, the project will include a horse racing track, and casino complete with slot machines, table games and a sportsbook, with room for expansion to include a hotel in the future. The track and casino will be built on two 40-acre plots of land. Morgan says the track will be built on the east parcel, and the casino will be built on the parcel to the west.

Ho-Chunk will also need to convert the horse racing license to a casino license before the casino opens. Now the land for the horse racing track and the casino sits just to the south of Highway 20 it’s also not far from the middle school and high school. But Morgan says their is a lot of positives bringing the casino to South Sioux City.

“Twenty-five percent of the casino tax goes to the local city and county and so it’ll be an additional revenue source to local governments to invest in schools and infrastructure in the community,” said Morgan.

Morgan says that casino tax could mean millions in additional revenue for South Sioux City and Dakota County. He says the project will also create new jobs in the community. Construction on the casino is slated to begin in either the fall of 2025 or the spring of 2026. There’s no word when the casino is expected to open.

Copyright 2024 KTIV. All rights reserved.