(ONAWA, IA) Could the third time be the charm for Casino Omaha?Quite possibly, but to be safe the owners came up with a new name, Blackbird Bend Casino.
And the grand re-opening is just in time for the New Year. But, there are still plenty of changes to come in the next 12 months.
"We rushed machines in here, got the floor all done. As you can see it looks kind of pretty," says Blackbird Bend CEO, Bill Walsh.
It's the first step with many more to follow.
"Hopefully by the end of February, we'll have 200 machines here," says Walsh.
Blackbird Bend Casino is open for business, and Walsh says he's happy with the turnout during the first weekend.
"Saturday was 387, yesterday was 254. We've got a lot of people here. We're very happy about it," he says.
That's because Casino Omaha was forced to close in the summer of 2011.
"I was very concerned about it. I hated to see an establishment like this get washed out from the flood, but I had hoped they were doing something to preserve it," says Louis Allison, a Blackbird Bend Casino Gambler.
Walsh says they did. Now the next step, is a new casino connected to the existing building.
"It's going to have 440 machines here, table games, a brand new restaurant, our famous Friday night seafood buffet, its going to be absolutely wonderful," says Walsh.
"We need something in this area, cause there isn't that much to do for entertainment, especially for seniors like me, we don't like to get out and go too far," says Joan Butler, a Blackbird Bend Casino Gambler.
Construction on the new casino will begin sometime in the next month and will be open for business at the beginning of 2014.
Walsh says in order to avoid a disaster, like the flood of 2011, the new Casino will be built 6 feet higher then the old building, well above the current flood plain.
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