Lake Mac Casino Opens Today in Ogallala With Live Racing and Gaming
Posted on: August 19, 2025, 07:46h.
Last updated on: August 19, 2025, 09:01h.
- Lake Mac Casino opens Tuesday
- The temporary casino is in Ogallala
- Elite Casino Resorts is behind the project
Nebraska’s newest casino, Lake Mac, opens Tuesday in Ogallala.
After the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission signed off on Lake Mac Casino’s start plan, Elite Casino Resorts and Nebraska businessman Brian Becker will open the 5/8 Quarter Horse racetrack and a temporary gaming area on Tuesday.
Gates open at 1 pm MDT. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for 2 pm, and the first Quarter Horse race is set for 3 pm. The casino will open following the race at around 4 pm.
This return of Quarter Horse racing to Nebraska is a major win for the local and agricultural economy in this area,” said Cynthia Smith, director of racing at the Nebraska Quarter Horse Racing Association. “Most importantly, this boosts the Nebraska Quarter Horse breeders and trainers who now have more opportunities closer to home. We all should be excited about what the future holds for the industry of running Quarter Horses in Nebraska in the coming years.”
Becker says most of the state’s 13,500 owners of Quarter Horses live in Western Nebraska. The Lake Mac Racetrack is the only dedicated Quarter Horse racetrack in the state.
The American Quarter Horse is a breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. It is the most popular breed of horse in the United States.
Lake Mac Casino is located at 777 Pony Express Lane, just south of Interstate 80 next to Walmart.
Temporary Casino
Tuesday’s Lake Mac Casino opening includes a provisional gaming area where Elite Casino Resorts will operate approximately 300 slot machines, a dozen electronic table games, including roulette, blackjack, and bubble craps, and an Elite Sportsbook with a staffed counter and self-betting kiosks.
Nebraska law prohibits smoking inside casinos. Complimentary alcohol is allowed.
The temporary casino will operate while Elite builds the permanent casino and resort.
The blueprint includes a 37K-square-foot gaming floor with 650 slots, 20 live-dealer table games, and a sportsbook lounge. A 180-room hotel with a convention center, RV ground, and several restaurants and bars is also planned.
Like all casinos in Nebraska, Lake Mac will share 20% of its gross gaming revenue with the state. The state will direct 70% of its gaming benefit to its Property Tax Credit Cash Fund to reduce homeowners’ property taxes. Twenty-five percent of the state gaming money will be returned to each casino’s host county and city, and the remaining 5% is split between the state’s General Fund and compulsive gambling assistance programs.
Western Nebraska
Becker was allocated a casino opportunity through a 2020 statewide referendum that authorized casino gambling at the state’s six horse racetracks. Becker bought the racing license of Queen City Downs in 2002 and founded Hastings Exposition and Racing that same year.
Becker initially partnered with the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma to build a casino in Hastings. After the local city council objected to the initial plans and the Chickasaw abandoned the project, Becker found a new partner in Elite.
With Elite also behind the Grand Island Casino Resort at Fonner Park, roughly a 30-minute drive north of Hastings, Becker and Elite sought a more attractive market with less gaming competition. They found it in Ogallala.
Lake Mac Casino’s nearest competition will still be Fonner Park, a nearly three-hour drive. Along with attracting gamblers from northeast Colorado and southeast Wyoming, Lake Mac will benefit in the warmer months from Lake McConaughy, a popular summertime destination.
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