What WarHorse Casino Omaha is
Nebraska voters approved casino gaming in 2020, but only at licensed horse tracks, which is why the city’s first casino sits next to a racecourse. WarHorse Gaming, owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska through Ho-Chunk Inc., built it with the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, the group that holds the racing license at Horsemen’s Park.
Regulators approved a round-the-clock opening on August 6, 2024. The first phase carried 925 gaming positions, tables and the Sweetwater Cafe, beside a sportsbook that had already operated from temporary space. Omaha’s Ak-Sar-Ben racetrack had closed in 1995, nearly three decades before any casino arrived. More on the format is in what is a racino.
The gaming floor and sportsbook
WarHorse Casino Omaha’s second phase opened in April 2025 and added 400 slot machines, two dining venues and a skywalk that links the parking structure directly to the casino. The staff grew by about 130 jobs to roughly 480 people. The floor now mixes video reels and progressive slots with live blackjack, craps and roulette tables, plus a sportsbook counter.
Numbers from the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission show how quickly the property grew. Through the first seven months of 2026 it reported $70.3 million in gross gaming revenue, ahead of its sister casino in Lincoln at $55.7 million. Most of the state’s casino tax goes into the property tax credit fund, with shares to Omaha and Douglas County.
Horse racing at Horsemen’s Park
Live horse racing at WarHorse Casino Omaha is a short affair. Construction limited the track to a single race day on September 29, 2024, the state minimum. For 2026 the commission approved seven Thoroughbred dates from June 27 to July 12, placed between the Lincoln meet at Legacy Downs and the summer card at Columbus.
The rest of the year belongs to simulcasting. The casino shows and takes bets on races from other tracks seven days a week, using the pari-mutuel pools explained in our guide to pari-mutuel betting. For live dates across the state, the horse racing schedule collects each Nebraska meet alongside the Omaha dates.
WarHorse Casino Omaha restaurants
Two restaurants came with the 2025 expansion. Nebraska Ale Haus is the sit-down choice, a bar and grill with local beer and evening live music; the casino listed a live music evening there on October 14, 2026. Trifecta Food Hall is the quicker option, with quick counter service for players who want a meal between sessions.
The restaurants sit inside the gaming building, so the 21-and-over entry rule applies to diners as well. That makes the property a poor fit for families on a racing day. Groups who want a quieter meal before or after a visit will find many more restaurants in the Q Street and Interstate 80 corridors of south Omaha.
Getting to WarHorse Casino Omaha
WarHorse Casino Omaha stands at 6303 Q Street, at the corner of 63rd Street, a few minutes from Interstate 80 in south-central Omaha. A parking structure serves the building, and the skywalk added in 2025 means visitors no longer cross open lots to reach the entrance. The phone number for the property is 1-800-777-7204.
Ho-Chunk also runs WarHorse Casino Lincoln at Legacy Downs, about an hour south-west along Interstate 80. Farther west, Harrah’s Columbus Nebraska offers a full mile track, and a third WarHorse property broke ground beside Atokad Downs in South Sioux City in August 2026. The Nebraska racinos overview compares all of them.
Playing with a plan
The casino operates under Nebraska rules that require players to be at least 21 and carry valid identification. Setting a spending limit before arriving, and leaving cards at home, keeps a night of slots or a day of simulcast wagering in proportion. Help is available around the clock through the state helpline at 1-833-BETOVER.