Nebraska Casino Asks City for On-Site Police, Request Comes After Bomb Threat
Posted on: January 12, 2026, 10:56h.
Last updated on: January 12, 2026, 11:02h.
- A Nebraska casino wants local police on site
- The casino is offering to cover the police costs
A casino in Nebraska is asking its local city council for a permanent on-site police presence, but the costs would be covered by the gaming resort.
Iowa-based Elite Casino Resorts, through a partnership with the Hall County Livestock Improvement Association, opened the Grand Island Casino Resort in Grand Island, Neb., in April 2025. The $185 million complex at the Fonner Park horse racetrack is seeking to enter into a contract with the City of Grand Island that would allow the casino to pay officers with the Grand Island Police Department to work overtime shifts at the gaming resort as uniformed security.
Officers of the Grand Island Police Department had periodically been working overtime uniformed security at the Grand Island Casino Resort in 2025. To ensure expectations are clear, reimbursements are governed by contract, and to codify liability and insurance obligations, a contract was developed,” the city council’s agenda packet explains.
On Tuesday, the City Council and Mayor Roger Steele are expected to execute the terms through Resolution 2026-7.
Casino Will Cover Police Costs
The resolution, which is expected to pass during the City Council’s Tuesday meeting, specifies that the Grand Island Casino Resort will be allowed to hire overtime police officers as needed and as available by the police department.
The casino will be invoiced and needs to reimburse the city for the officers working overtime as security personnel. The resolution would be valid for five years. The City of Grand Island Administration has recommended to the Council and Steele that they approve the resolution.
Grand Island has a casino floor with 750 slot machines, 20 live-dealer table games, a poker room, and an Elite Sportsbook. The resort features a seven-story, 162-room hotel with an indoor/outdoor pool, four restaurants and bars, a spa, a fitness center, and a gift shop.
Grand Island is one of five casinos in Nebraska. Elite additionally runs the Lake Mac Casino Resort & Racetrack, a temporary gaming facility in Ogallala. Elite and local businessman Brian Becker are currently constructing a permanent casino that will complement the state’s only Quarter Horse racetrack.
Bomb Scare
Grand Island Casino Resort is requesting on-site police officers for the next five years comes as the property was the target of a bomb scare.
On Sunday, Grand Island Police responded to the casino at around 2:15 pm local time after a caller threatened that several bombs had been placed throughout the property. A prompt investigation, assisted by casino surveillance and law enforcement technology, determined that the bomb call was a hoax.
Detectives said the caller used a third-party system to spoof their number. The casino’s operations remained uninterrupted during the search.
The Grand Island Police Department said it “takes all reported threats seriously” and will continue to investigate the origin of the call. Anyone with information is asked to contact the police.
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