BELLEVUE- Bellevue and Sarpy County more broadly should not be denied the benefits of hosting a horse racing track and casino, Bellevue Mayor Rusty Hike said Tuesday. Hike said the proposed Bellevue Downs Racetrack and Casino in his community would pull revenues away from Iowa casinos, and that it would likely generate more local revenue than was forecasted by a state consultant.

The report, which was prepared on behalf of the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, argued that a facility in Bellevue would generate roughly $60.7 million in revenue, but that some of that revenue would be pulled from Nebraska's existing racetrack casinos. According to the report, the WarHorse Casino, which is currently under construction in Omaha, would lose $24.7 million if the Bellevue facility was given the green light.

Despite the report, John Hassett of Askarben Equine argued that a Bellevue location would increase state revenues overall, and that the proposed track in this location would be utilized to race quarter horses, so it wouldn't compete directly with Thoroughbred tracks. "The quarter horse racetrack will be a unique draw," said Hassett, "We expect it to be very popular with the public, because quarter horse racing provides a faster-paced race experience."

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