The Omaha Tribe of Iowa and Nebraska now has its new casino in western Iowa open and running nearly three years after their old casino was flooded by the Missouri River. The new Blackbird Ben Casino was dedicated Friday.  Casino CEO, Kurt Schmidt, says the casino near Onawa adds 140 jobs to the area. “A fair share of them are tribal members, but many others do come from the Onawa area, Monona County, and from Sioux City as well,” Schmidt says.

He says the new casino also has a bar and gift shop. Schmidt says other new facilities are also in the works. “We are going to be opening up the Blackbird Bend Bingo Hall in late March, early April,” Schmidt says. “And then we plan on getting the Blackbird Bend Speedway up and running again later this spring, or early this summer.”

The Omaha Tribe had been operating a small casino in a portion of the old casino while the Blackbird Bend Casino was under construction. The old casino was called “CasinOmaha.” The new casino is located between Interstate 29 and the Missouri River near Onawa.

(Reporting by Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City)