Grand Island Casino Resort will have a VIP gathering at 4 p.m. April 10. Two hours later, the doors will open.

With opening day three weeks away, “We can hardly wait,” casino general manager Vince Fiala said after the meeting. Construction began about a year and a half ago.

Dennis Lee, chair of the Racing and Gaming Commission, said the casino opening will be a big moment for central Nebraska and Grand Island.

Elite Casino Resorts and Fonner Park “have done a phenomenal job of bringing this project to fruition,” Lee said.

The casino will be a boon to the area economy, Lee said. It is also the western-most casino in Nebraska.

Fiala said the casino represents a $185 million investment “for Grand Island and for Nebraska.” The building totals seven stories, with the casino on the first floor. The hotel will have 162 rooms.

Before giving their approval to the permanent casino, commission members asked about parking and about an obstructed view in a portion of the horse track’s clubhouse.

Elite Casinos Regional Vice President Sharon Haselhoff responded to Commissioner Jeffrey Galyen’s question about parking.

Initially, Elite proposed building a 400-stall parking garage. “Economically that did not make sense,” Haselhoff said. “So we have agreed with the city and Fonner to add roughly 1,100 parking stalls that we will pave” on the campus, Haselhoff said.

The parking lot, which is regularly used during the State Fair, is on the north side of the west lot (north of State Fair Park Boulevard).

Haselhoff said the additional parking will help horse racing fans. Shuttle buses and golf carts are being used to bring fans to the front door.

At the casino, peak business is at night and on weekends, Haselhoff said. The horse races don’t run at night, she noted. Most Heartland Events Center events are at night.

Over the course of the year, there will be a few times “where we’re going to have some super-peak days,” she said. On those days, parking will extend to the far lots.

“But for the majority of the days, this parking lot will accommodate the needs of this campus,” she said.

Even on the “super-overflow days,” race fans won’t have to walk long distances because of the shuttle service, she said.

If the parking garage had been built, it could have been as tall as six stories. The combination of the casino and a sizable parking structure would have produced a “twin tower” effect, Fonner Park CEO Chris Kotulak said.

Commissioner Janell Beveridge asked about an obstructed view in the clubhouse. Architectural changes led to an increased ceiling height in the casino building. As a result, about 400 people in the clubhouse are not able to see the racetrack’s far turn.

Kotulak said the problem is not significant, because two large LED TVs have been added in the northern portion of the clubhouse. One of the TVs is 9 by 13 feet. The other one is 7 by 10 feet.

“Of those 400 people, I would guarantee that more than half of them don’t even realize that their view is blocked, because they’re typically watching a television screen anyway,” Kotualak said after the meeting. The clubhouse seats 2,200 to 2,400 people.

The casino will have 20 live table games, two craps tables, two roulette tables and 10 blackjack tables. Also included are a blackjack table with Blazing Sevens, two Ultimate Texas Hold’em tables, a Pai gow table, a Mississippi Stud table and a free bet table.

“We’ll have a show lounge that will feature local and regional entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s free if you’re on the gaming floor,” Fiala said.

The facility includes four restaurants. The marquee eatery is Ruthie’s Steak and Seafood, which will be on the seventh floor.

A cafe, known as 22 & Vine, will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Families are more than welcome at that cafe, which will be near the entrance, Fiala said.

The second floor will have a banquet space, with about 200 seats, and an outdoor patio.

The only dining option limited to those 21 and older will be Draft Day, which is part of the casino’s sports book. That establishment is basically a sports bar, Fiala said.

On the second floor will be a spa, which will offer manicures, pedicures, facials, massages and other treatments.

Also on the second floor will be a hot tub, a sauna and a cold room. “It’s kind of a European thing,” Fiala said.

People will go into the hot tub, the cold room and then the sauna. Hotel guests will be able to enjoy an indoor pool and indoor hot tub. “And in the summer we’ll have an outdoor pool and outdoor hot tub for our guests as well,” he said.

The top three stories of the hotel will offer a good view of the horse races. That view will be available from corner hotel rooms and Ruthie’s Steak and Seafood.

The casino is not just for those who like to gamble, Fiala said. He invites people to come out and have a meal.

The casino resort is nearing 400 employees. “That’s a big deal for this area,” Fiala said.

The temporary casino opened with 85 employees. By August of 2023, that number had grown to 135.

Kotulak talked about what casino money has meant to Fonner Park racing.

“With the deal we made with the casino to benefit our horses and horsemen and our employees, we have shared over $2.5 million into the purse fund that Fonner Park offers to our horsemen,” he said after the meeting.

In addition, Fonner has shared close to $700,000 with the Nebraska Thoroughbred Breeders Association. “And they in turn can use that money for subsidies of purses, for a thoroughbred after-care program or some of their own administrative needs,” Kotulak said.

Of the 10 races being run Saturday at Fonner Park, nine will have a purse of at least $10,000. “Never before have we offered purse money to our horsemen in that amount,” he said.

“We could have never done it without the casino money,” Kotulak added. “The purse money that we desperately need has finally surfaced.”