Winnebago Tribe's corporation to revive horse races at former track

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Ho-Chunk Inc. purchased the site of the former Atokad Downs in South Sioux City, Nebraska, and operates it as Atokad Park. Image from Google Maps

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Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic development arm of the Winnebago Tribe, announced plans to join the horse racing industry in Nebraska.

The corporation will revive horse races at the site of the former Atokad Downs in South Sioux City, The Lincoln Journal Star reported. A 6,000 square-foot facility that includes a sports bar could be open by September, the paper said.

“We’re excited for what other opportunities this will bring to the Siouxland area,” Ho-Chunk Inc. director of development Alexcia Boggs told the Nebraska Racing Commission, the paper reported.

The plan comes as Ho-Chunk Inc. pushes for an expansion of gaming in the state. Keep the Money in Nebraska is collecting signatures for a series of ballot measures that would authorize casinos at licensed racetracks like the one at Atokad Downs, which the corporation purchased in 2012.

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