GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — Nebraska’s second sports book is open and operational, and it’s just in time for college football season.

“It’s better than I though it would have been for the first day," General Manager Vince Fiala said. "We probably had 50 or 60 wagers. I can tell you this, the vast majority were on Nebraska.”

The first sports bet placed at the Grand Island Casino Resort on Wednesday was on the Huskers to beat Minnesota. General Manager Vince Fiala says everything has been smooth so far.

“We brought in the people from IGT that actually have the kiosks and run our platform for us," Fiala said. "We have a corporate person, a manager that came in and helped train our employees. They’ve spent the last couple of weeks doing practice sessions, writing tickets, cashing tickets in so we’re ready to go.”

The sports book is in the southeast corner of the temporary casino next to the table games. It has two counters and two kiosks for betting. Fiala says it will be friendly to first-time bettors.

“We have odds sheets and stuff and there’s screens behind the sports book counter so you kind of know what the odds are," Fiala said. "Our staff will be very helpful if you need them to explain how the bets work.”

Bets come with a $5 minimum and must be placed inside the casino. You can only bet on in-state teams like Nebraska if they’re playing out of state.

For Fiala, getting the sports book open is about adding another amenity for visitors.

“Come out here on the weekends, maybe spend a little time with us, have some food and beverage," Fiala said. "It’s adding to what our total resort’s going to be like hopefully in December 2024 when we get that built.”

The sports book design for the permanent casino isn’t finalized yet, but Fiala says it will be bigger and feature five times as many screens.