The United States continues to deepen its regulated land-based gaming expansion. Lake Mac Casino Resort & Racetrack, located in Ogallala, Nebraska, officially inaugurated its first live dealer table games on June 30, 2026, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Elite Casino Resorts, the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission (NRGC) and local authorities, marking a new step in the state’s land-based casino rollout. The new games will open to the public on July 2, 2026.
The ceremony brought together General Manager Thomas Frank; Mary Wilson, executive director of Keith County Area Development; and NRGC Commissioner Janell Beveridge, whose agency is responsible for licensing and supervising casinos authorized at racetracks after Nebraska voters approved casino gaming in 2020. The NRGC later authorized the relocation of the racing license to Ogallala and the opening of the property under the state’s new regulatory model.
NRGC Commissioner Janell Beveridge
The expansion adds Blackjack and Ultimate Texas Hold'em with live dealers for the first time, strengthening an offering that previously relied on electronic table games. Initial operations will run Thursday through Sunday, from 4:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Frank said the new tables were among the additions most requested by customers and confirmed that the expansion will create new jobs for dealers, supervisors and casino operations staff.
The property currently offers more than 300 slot machines, sports betting, simulcast wagering, live entertainment and Quarter Horse racing. Its next major event is scheduled for July 10 and 11, 2026, when Lake Mac hosts the American Quarter Horse Race Weekend, featuring eight races, four per day, starting at 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time.
Lake Mac opened its temporary casino on August 19, 2025, and is part of an approximately US$100 million project led by Elite Casino Resorts. The plan calls for a permanent 37,000-square-foot casino, 650 slot machines, 14 table games, a hotel, convention center, RV park and new racing facilities, positioning Ogallala as an emerging gaming tourism destination in western Nebraska.
