There Will Be No Legal Sports Betting in Nebraska in 2024
Residents of Nebraska will not be able to access our best sports betting sites this year.
Tuesday, Aug. 20, marked the end of the Cornhusker State's 2024 legislative session. For proponents of a legal sports betting platform in Nebraska, it also marked the last chance for any legal gambling legislation this year.
Gov. Jim Pillen held a special session to discuss ways of curbing high property taxes in Nebraska, which kept the door open for proponents of legal mobile sports betting in the Cornhusker State. Tax revenue from a Nebraska legal online sports betting platform had been earmarked for property tax relief for Nebraska citizens.
Sen. Eliot Bostar's work to move a constitutional amendment out of committee and give voters in the state a say on legalization on the November election ballot led some to think that sports betting legalization this year was a possibility.
Optimism turned to disappointment Tuesday when the special legislative session ended without a mention or vote on legal online sports betting for Nebraskans.
The push
Gov. Pillen has been a supporter of expanding Nebraska’s legal sports betting platform beyond retail, brick-and-mortar gambling. He made it a priority to legalize online sports wagering in 2025. Pillen made a serious push with the special session he called this year to deal directly with property taxes and indirectly with mobile sports betting to fund their relief.
Sen. Bostar amended the Nebraska Racetrack Gaming Act earlier this month to allow state casinos to offer mobile sports betting. That amended legislation, LR3CA, would see 90% of the state's online sports betting tax revenue go toward property tax relief.
That is if, and only if, voters had their say on the issue, something that has become moot with the legislature wrapping up for the year.
Pushing Bestar’s package out of committee wasn’t enough to get legal sports betting over the finish line. Parts of his plan were not even discussed on the Senate floor. Most discussions surrounding the matter this week came off the floor and were directed by Senators opposed to such legislation.
To be fair, there was a fair amount of opposition to Bestar’s legislative win among Nebraska lawmakers. Legendary and influential Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne is a strong opponent of legalizing sports betting in his state.
What Nebraska is missing out on
Nebraska already has a legal retail sports betting industry consisting of horse racetracks, regulations for slot machines, table games, and in-person sports betting. But a more all-encompassing, lucrative mobile wing with our best sports betting apps and real money online casinos was what was being sought.
Mobile sports betting would have added an estimated $30 million per year in tax revenue for state and local coffers. While not making much of a dent in the property tax burden faced by citizens of Nebraska, the $30 million in tax revenue could have helped overtaxed residents by cashing in on a mobile sports wagering industry that is already thriving in the state via neighboring jurisdictions with legal sports betting scenes or illegal offshore books.
Starting over
The subject of legal Nebraska sports betting may be over for the time being, but there is a sense that something could get done in 2025. There is legislative and public momentum to expand an existing retail platform, and having Gov. Pillen on board certainly helps.
However, bills do not carry over in the Nebraska legislators year after year, meaning lawmakers in the state will be forced to start from square 1. There is also the fact that any ballot referendums state-wide are required, by law, to only take place during even-numbered elections.
That pushes a possible vote by citizens to 2026. With legal wrangling certain, online sports betting may not be legal in Nebraska until 2027.
