Elite Casino Resorts is the Iowa-based, family-owned operator behind Grand Island Casino Resort — the central Nebraska sportsbook attached to Fonner Park. The company runs multiple Midwest casinos but Grand Island is its only Nebraska venue.
Elite Casino Resorts is owned by the Kehl family and operates multiple casinos across Iowa and Nebraska. The company has a long history of partnering with horse-racing properties, which made Fonner Park in Grand Island a natural fit for its Nebraska expansion when LB 561 created the retail-sportsbook framework in 2021.
The Grand Island property opened in 2023 and combines a casino, sportsbook and ongoing horse-racing meets at Fonner Park. For central Nebraska bettors — Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney — it is the only legal retail sportsbook within reasonable driving distance.
The retail sportsbook at Grand Island is operated under Elite's house brand rather than a national chain. That means the kiosks and lines are not tied to a Caesars or DraftKings system the way Columbus and the WarHorse venues are. Markets cover the major US sports with the standard Nebraska in-state college restriction.