Nebraska
State racing and gaming commission decides market study is incomplete, needs additional info
LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner) -The state agency that governs whether Nebraska needs more racetrack/casinos decided Friday that it needs more information before it can make that decision.
The move delivered a blow to several cities across the state — a list that now includes Fremont — that are seeking to join the state’s six existing racetracks in offering casino gaming in their communities.
The decision by the State Racing and Gaming Commission also served to delay consideration of moving a racing license from a quarterhorse track in Hastings to a proposed new track/casino in Ogallala, which would be the state’s first casino west of Grand Island.
Currently, only the existing, licensed racetracks in Lincoln, Grand Island, Omaha, Columbus, South Sioux City and Hastings are allowed to have casinos, under the 2020 vote by Nebraskans to allow casinos.
But the Nebraska Legislature passed a bill that allows additional locations to be considered once the Racing and Gaming Commission completes a market/economic study to determine whether additional “racinos” (a racetrack with a casino) could be allowed in the state without harming the existing operations.
A $48,000 study
On Friday, commission members voiced doubts that a $48,000 market study, completed last month by New Orleans-based gaming consultants The Innovation Group, met the requirements of the study as required by the Legislature.
That led to 7-0 passage of a motion to require a committee to review the legislative requirements and then decide whether the current study should be supplemented, or if a brand-new study should be done.
“I’m not sure there’s enough data (in the current study) to allow the commission to make a good judgment on any expansion of current racetracks beyond our current facilities,” said Dennis Lee, an Omaha attorney and the chairman of the seven-member commission.
Representatives of Warhorse Gaming, the Lincoln racino, and the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, called for the Innovation Group study to be “thrown out” and a request for proposal be conducted to contract for a new study.
Tom Zitt with The Innovation Group told the commission that because Nebraska has such limited racing days, it was not possible to completely access the impact of additional racinos on the existing racetrack/casinos.
But racetrack officials faulted The Innovation Group for never calling or visiting the state’s racetracks to seek data they needed for the study.
Commissioner Jeff Galyen, however, said that his motion left it open for a committee to determine whether a new study or is needed, or just an addition to the existing study.
Zitt said his firm would be willing to expand its report if it could get information about the expected increases in racing days and purses, data that would help the firm project the impact on racing.
Lake Mac Casino tabled
Brian Jorde, an Omaha attorney representing the proposed “Lake Mac Casino Resort and Racetrack” in Ogallala, asked the Commission to approve the move of the racing license to Ogallala from Hastings.
He argued that the state statute directing the market study required the “initial issuance” of such a report, which has already happened. Jorde said the move could be approved now.
The attorney added that any market study will show that moving the racetrack 200 miles west to Ogallala is a benefit, and not a detriment, to the existing racetracks/casinos in the state.
Galyen, who is also an attorney, disagreed, saying the commission must wait for the market study to be updated or redone before it can approve a move or a new racino license.
The commission then tabled the request about the Ogallala move.
Fremont also wants a casino
Representatives of a group seeking a racino in Fremont also addressed the Racing and Gaming Commission on Friday. Fremont now joins Bellevue, Norfolk, North Platte, Kimball and York in expressing a desire to open a casino.
David Bracht, an Omaha attorney for the Fremont group, said that the city is well positioned to host a racino and that it would have a positive impact on the community.
The commission took no action after the Fremont presentation, determining that it could not rule on any new racinos until the market study is updated or redone.
Executive director to retire
A request by Tom Sage, the executive director of the State Racing and Gaming Commission, to retire on March 12 was approved at Friday’s meeting.
Sage, who has been with the commission for two decades, has been on a leave of absence for health reasons in recent days.
His leave began after questions arose about a recent $30,000 purchase of semi-automatic rifles for casino security. There were also concerns about whether a legislatively required market study was adequately completed.
Before approving Sage’s retirement, commissioners and an official with the racing industry praised the hard work Sage has done to transform the agency from only governing horse racing, to also regulating casinos.
The commission has ramped up from two full-time employees to 25 since the state’s first casino opened in 2022.
Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and Twitter.
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Nebraska
Georgia Transfer Defensive Back Justyn Rhett Commits to Nebraska
An SEC defensive back is headed to Lincoln via the transfer portal.
Former Georgia DB Justyn Rhett has committed to Nebraska. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
Rhett appeared in four games over two seasons for the powerhouse Bulldogs. He finishes his Georgia career with three tackles.
The 6-1, 200-pound DB got to Athens from the football factory out of Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman. A four-star prospect out of high school, Rhett was selected to play in Under Armour All-America Game and picked Georgia over Alabama, Michigan, Florida State, LSU, Tennessee, Oregon, Notre Dame, Oregon, and more.
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Nebraska
900 Square Feet: Recapping Louisville-Pitt, Penn State-Nebraska
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — One match left: Louisville, which knocked out Pittsburgh, plays Penn State, which ousted Nebraska with a five-set reverse sweep.
ESPN and Big Ten Network analyst Emily Ehman and VolleyballMag editor Lee Feinswog look back on an incredible Thursday night at the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship:
Nebraska
Dana Holgorsen, John Butler talk bowl prep and being “light on your feet”
Dana Holgorsen, John Butler talk bowl prep and being “light on your feet”
In today’s college football, coaches must have their head on a swivel.
That’s true during the season of course, but it’s now a way of life once the transfer portal opens in December and rosters start moving and shaking. And things get even more wild if you’re at a program that’s playing in a bowl game, or even the College Football Playoff.
It’s a balancing act that all staffs are going through right now. Nebraska’s included.
“You’ve got to be light on your feet, man,” Nebraska defensive coordinator John Butler said during a press conference over Zoom on Thursday. “I mean, you’re maybe in the middle of a game-plan meeting and all of a sudden you got to jump out and you’re having a 30-minute meeting with a prospect that’s in on a visit, or you’re jumping on a Zoom doing it. Or you’re watching 15 minutes of tape to make sure that, hey, this guy just jumped in and he wants to visit us. So I think you got to be a fast thinker and mover and a shaker, quite frankly.”
This whole process has taught Butler, who spent the 2024 season as the defensive backs coach under now-departed DC Tony White, that these traits are as important as ever: Being decisive. Being organized. Following a road map to achieve a goal and not deviating from it when there’s chaos all over.
“You’ve got to have a plan and a vision for what you’re looking for, because everything happens so fast,” Butler said. “You have a guy get in and get out, get in and get signed. And at the same time, you also got to keep an eye on your roster constantly, because there’s people reaching out. There’s people reaching out to your players, whether it’s direct or it’s people reaching out through a third party. And it’s unfortunate in this environment.
“People said, ‘Hey, it’s like NFL free agency.’ No, it’s not. NFL free agency is regulated.”
As Husker fans have come to learn, just because a player says he’s going to enter the transfer portal doesn’t mean he actually will. And sometimes when a player actually enters his name in the portal, there’s always a chance they could withdraw their name and return to their program if each side wants.
Nebraska saw that happen with defensive lineman Keona Davis, who briefly entered the portal before withdrawing and staying at NU for 2025. There was also running back Emmett Johnson — he announced he would enter the portal but never made it there.
Holgorsen played a key role in convincing Johnson to stay at Nebraska.
“We had some long talks after the season, and I got to know him better as a person,” Holgorsen said of his relationship with Johnson. “I did that with a bunch of them, but him in particular was probably about the first one that came in and was excited about what we did, but there was some buts. So we had some long talks. I think he’s a great kid and he’s going to be a special player here. Excited to coach him.”
On Holgorsen’s side of the ball, he’ll have to adjust his game plan now that he’ll be without a handful of players he was able to use during the regular season.
Running back Dante Dowdell transferred to Kentucky on Friday. A tight end Holgorsen really liked, Nate Boerkircher, transferred to Texas A&M. Receiver Isaiah Neyor has chosen to opt out of the Pinstripe Bowl to focus on his NFL aspirations. Offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua, who began the year as the starting right guard but finished the season rotating with Gunnar Gottula at left tackle, won’t play in the bowl because he’s getting surgery to fix a torn labrum he played through during the season.
There will be holes to fill on Holgorsen’s offense in the bowl game and beyond in 2025. But Holgorsen brushes all of this chaos off. He’s a go-with-the-flow guy. He doesn’t pretend to have answers to fix college football. What he does have, though, is a plan.
“There’s been a lot of talk out there about something needs to happen. That’s above my pay grade,” Holgorsen said. “So, the few kids who decided to do that (leave), we wish them well, and you just go replace them. It’s as simple as that.”
Part of that replacement process needs to happen for the bowl game with current members of the roster. Behind Emmett Johnson, expect Rahmir Johnson — he’s native of the Bronx and will have several family members and friends at Yankee Stadium — to play often as it’ll be his final game in a Husker uniform.
But with Dowdell and Gabe Ervin Jr. gone from the team, perhaps this Pinstripe Bowl will feature another big back on Nebraska’s roster who’s seldom been used: redshirt freshman Kwinten Ives, a 6-3, 210-pounder.
“You know, 23 (Dowdell) isn’t playing in the bowl game but 28 (Ives) is gonna go in there and he’s gonna play his tail off because he’s had nine spectacular practices,” Holgorsen said. “I think that’s how you got to look at it. You don’t worry about the ones that aren’t playing. You worry about the ones that are playing, and you coach them and you try to develop them, put them in position to hopefully be successful.”
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