The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska took a step toward achieving a long-standing goal on Monday as construction began to expand the tribe’s Prairie Flower Casino in Carter Lake.
Rebecca Sullivan, acting tribal council chair, called the expansion’s groundbreaking part of a “day of celebration.” The groundbreaking for the 60,000 square foot addition coincides with the 32nd anniversary of the Ponca Restoration Act which restored the tribe’s federal recognition.
The groundbreaking also comes a day before the fourth anniversary of the opening of the original casino. The addition will increase the casino’s footprint to over 70,000 square feet.
Sullivan said the tribe planned to expand the casino even before opening the existing building.
“We always had in mind to move forward with a bigger casino,” she said.
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Scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2024, the casino addition will add 600 machines, including electronic slots and table games. It will also have a space where people can bet on sports and enjoy a gastro pub. The expansion will also provide retail space and dining options intended to provide what Sullivan said is a “food court-like atmosphere.”
The Prairie Flower Casino expansion will add 200 new jobs in addition to the 100 people already employed at the existing casino.
PRAIRIE FLOWERS CASINO
Sullivan declined to disclose casino expansion costs. She said the expansion will add 200 new jobs in addition to the 100 people already employed at the casino.
The groundbreaking for the Prairie Flower expansion comes more than a year after a federal appeals court ruled unanimously in favor of the tribe. The court ruled that the tribe had the right to build and operate a casino on the land which the plaintiffs – the states of Nebraska and Iowa and the city of Council Bluffs – said was not restored land.
Prairie Flower Casino will encounter more competition now that casino gambling is legal in Nebraska. war horse casino open in Lincoln earlier this fall, and its parent company, Ho-Chunk Inc., innovated this summer on a casino, racing and entertainment complex at Horsemen’s Park in Omaha.
Sullivan acknowledged that the changing casino landscape in Nebraska “will have some impact” on the Iowa casino, but said those changes have not influenced the Ponca tribe’s plans.
“From day one, we planned to grow,” she said. “We had no influence from outside entities.”
Our best Omaha staff photos and videos from October 2022
Blaine Beckmann of Seal-Rite uses spray foam to insulate a home in Elkhorn on Wednesday.
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Marian’s Maddia Groff (3) celebrates victory in the Class A Softball Championship game against Gretna on Friday.
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A sculpture and amphitheater from the newly renovated Gene Leahy Mall are visible through the partially demolished W. Dale Clark Library, located at 215 S 15th St, Thursday.
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Kearney’s Asher Saulsbury reacts after conceding a point during his championship match against Lincoln East’s Hunter Nelson at the Koch Tennis Center in Omaha on Friday.
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Ice covers blades of grass at Memorial Park early Tuesday morning as Omaha set a new record high of 19 degrees according to the National Weather Service.
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Lincoln East’s Hunter Nelson returns the ball during his championship match against Kearney Asher Saulsbury at the Koch Tennis Center in Omaha on Friday.
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Millard South’s Grant Renken (left) attempts to catch a pass under pressure from Omaha Westside’s Nick Anglim (center) and Teddy Rezac during overtime in their match at Westside High School in Omaha on Thursday.
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Breyan Lovejoy (left) and Kaleb Sheridan sing and drum with fellow White Eagle Club members during the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Josyln Castle & Gardens in Omaha on Monday.
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Kane Sheridan, of dancers from the White Eagle Club, dances during the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Josyln Castle & Gardens in Omaha on Monday.
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On Monday, members of the White Eagle Club dancers perform at the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at Josyln Castle & Gardens in Omaha.
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Nebraska’s Trey Palmer (3) celebrates with teammates after his touchdown during their Friday game at Piscataway.
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Nebraska’s Casey Thompson (11) warms up before the Nebraska football game against Rutgers at Piscataway on Friday.
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Papio South’s Kenzie Dyrstad dives for the ball during their match against Skyview Idaho in the Girls Volleyball Invitational at Papillion-La Vista South High School on Friday.
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Marion Burse sings on “Lift Every Voice and Sing” during the ceremony.
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Sarah Walker, Creighton University’s Vice President for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, speaks at Friday’s ceremony.
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Owner Angie Norman in the garden of Dahlia House, her Airbnb in Benson. “It’s like watching a show,” Norman said. “It’s just full of life.”
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Creighton head coach Jim Flanery watches his side practice at Sokol Arena on Tuesday.
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Creighton’s Kennedy Townsend poses for a portrait at Creighton’s Championship Center on Tuesday.
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Creighton’s Arthur Kaluma poses for a portrait at Creighton’s Championship Center on Tuesday.
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Nebraska’s Ty Robinson (99) celebrates the sack of Indiana’s Connor Bazelak (9) during the Indiana vs. Nebraska football game in Lincoln on Saturday. Nebraska won the game 35-21.
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Nebraska’s Nick Henrich tackles Indiana’s Javon Swinton during their game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
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Nebraska’s Anthony Grant fumbles for the ball which was picked up by Nebraska’s Brody Belt during the second half of their game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
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Nebraska’s Luke Reimer intercepts the ball after facing Indiana’s Javon Swinton in the second half of their game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
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Nebraska’s Nick Henrich tackles Indiana’s Donaven McCulley in the second half of their game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
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Nebraska’s Luke Reimer and Grant Tagge celebrate after Reimer broke a pass to save during the second half of their game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
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Nebraska’s Nick Henrich celebrates after taking on Indiana’s Donaven McCulley during the second half of their game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
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Ice covers blades of grass at Memorial Park early Tuesday morning as Omaha set a new record high of 19 degrees according to the National Weather Service.
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Nebraska’s Chubba Purdy (6) is knocked down by Indiana’s Louis Moore (20) and Cam Jones (4) during the Indiana vs. Nebraska football game in Lincoln on Saturday. Purdy fumbled the ball, and it was recovered for a touchdown by Indiana.
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Nebraska’s Marques Buford Jr., left, tackles Indiana’s Andison Coby after receiving a four-yard reception in the second quarter on Saturday.
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Mila Friedman, 4, is thrown into the air and grabbed by her father, Sebastian Friedman, of Lincoln, as she heels before the Indiana vs. Nebraska football game in Lincoln on Saturday.
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Gretna’s Cameron Bothwell (99) smiles with teammates after his winning field goal during the Bellevue West football game against Gretna at Gretna High School on Friday. Gretna won the match 40-37.
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From left, triplets Morgan, Maddie and Megan Moore wait for customers at Corn Crib Coffee. The cafe installed in an old corn nursery is all the rage on social networks.
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People hold their phones for photos of the first plane to land at Offutt Air Force Base, a TC-135 after an 18-month runway reconstruction that cost more than $200 million on Friday, September 30, 2022.
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Lt. Col. Ryan Davis brings his new son, Beckett, to see the new runway at Offutt Air Force Base on Friday.
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Work continues on Heartland of America Park and Lewis & Clark Landing, with the skate tape visible in the lower right, Thursday.
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