BELLEVUE- John Hassett might own Bellevue Keno, but his true love has always been horse racing.

Hassett has been trying to bring a new racetrack and casino to Bellevue for a couple of years, only to bump up against opposition from the Nebraska Legislature and existing track owners. But his dream of a racino — a racetrack combined with a casino — got a boost last month when opponents of a bill that could have delayed the building of any new casinos in the state were able to block it from advancing.

Under current law, the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission is required to conduct a statewide market study on horse racing and casino gaming, as well as studies in each county that already have race tracks and casinos, before any new casino licenses can be granted.

Legislative Bill 311 would have delayed the deadline for the market study to be completed from Jan. 1, 2025, to Jan. 1, 2029. Another bill, LB 148, which would have pushed the deadline to Jan. 1, 2030, also failed to advance.

“I think it was really good for the new applicants that neither one of those two bills advanced....I really think either one of ‘em would’ve been very detrimental to any applicant just to try to keep your project together for four or five years. You know, you got land in mind, you have casino partners, you have people interested. Well, it’s hard to keep interest and keep the whole thing together for four or five years, I would think.” said Hassett.

In addition to Bellevue, the cities of North Platte, Ogallala, Gering, and Kimball have all expressed interest in building racinos.

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