Nebraska Officials Qualify Mobile Sports Betting Dual Initiatives

So you're telling me there's a chance.

Nebraska voters will decide the future of online sports betting in the Cornhusker State this autumn. On Friday, Aug. 21, the Nebraska Secretary of State's Office confirmed that two citizen-led ballot petitions met all statewide and countywide signature requirements and will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. 

A simple majority of voters can approve the measures as long as that "yes" is answered on at least 35% of all votes cast in the election - not just on the measure. If that majority is reached, it would expand the state's retail-only sports betting market into a fully regulated online market. Tax Relief Nebraska, a committee funded in part by the best sports betting sites, has backed the campaign. 

One petition called for a constitutional amendment; another for a statutory enactment. Both measures surpassed 110% of the required signatures before counting stopped. The constitutional amendment would grant the state legislature the authority to permit online sports wagering.

Industry reporting suggests the statutory regulations include platform limits that allow licensed racetrack operators to use third-party platforms (such as DraftKings or FanDuel), require sports betting operators to host servers in the state, and require operators to intercept state debt before disbursing winnings to players. 

Per SBC Americas, WarHorse Casino Director of Government Relations Lynne McNally, noted: "We have held talks with several sportsbooks about potential partnerships should voters approve online sports betting, including FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM."

Last year's efforts

State Senator Eliot Bostar proposed a legislative resolution (LR20CA) to legalize sports betting in the state, and initial debates were promising. But a formidable opponent arose. 

One dissenting senator threatened a full filibuster, which would raise the votes needed to pass the resolution from the standard 30 to 33. That threatened filibuster spelled the end of the efforts.

At the time, Senator Bostar said, “I don’t want you to like sports betting, but I would hope that you would find an offense in us giving our money away to Iowa.” 

In 2024, LR3CA/LB13 also failed, as the bill died in a 4-3 vote as the special legislative session ran out.