Skip to main content

Online Sports Betting Legalization Makes Progress in Nebraska

James Bisson

Last Updated: August 16, 2024 5:03 PM EDT • 1 min 22 sec read.

Nebraska Cornhuskers fans celebrates as the team competes on the high bar during the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships as we look at the state of online sports betting legalization in Nebraska.
Nebraska Cornhuskers fans celebrates as the team competes on the high bar during the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships. Photo by Matt Lunsford via USA TODAY Sports

The push to legalize online sports betting in Nebraska looks as though it is moving forward, four years after voters in the state approved retail, in-person sports betting.

However, it could still be a long road ahead before our best sports betting sites can operate in the Cornhusker State. 

The Unicameral General Affairs Committee approved LR3CA by a 5-2 vote this week, a win for our best sports betting apps and proponents of a legalized mobile sports betting. It would allow for an expansion of Nebraska's current retail-only sports betting scene.

A kink in the plan emerged in another piece of legislation, legislation LB 13, which did not make it out of committee. It could make the discussion of legalization a 2026 election matter. 

Sen. Eliot Bostar estimates that legalizing online sports betting and imposing a 20% tax on gross sportsbook revenue could result in $30 million in annual revenue for the state.

Currently, Nebraska allows commercial in-person casino gambling at horse racetracks and has established regulations for slot machines, table games, and in-person sports betting. 

Good and bad news

The good news from this week’s development is that voters will eventually get their say on expanding their platform.

The bad news is that it may not appear on the November 2024 ballot.

LR3CA stipulates that the question will be put before voters on an upcoming election ballot. It doesn’t cement November 5 as the date. LB 13, which identified November 5 as the targeted date, did not advance, meaning the 2026 election is a distinct possibility.

Another amendment would see any voter approval in November kicked back to the legislature for the final say. It would "authorize the Legislature to provide by law" sports betting, not "permit an authorized gaming operator" as initially planned.

There is undoubtedly some motivation for lawmakers in Nebraska to get something done.

According to Sen. Eliot Bostar, the demand is there, and the revenue from legal online sports betting is earmarked for property tax relief.

Time is still there to clear things up, but the date of an online sports betting launch in Nebraska is still up in the air for the foreseeable future.

Written By:
James Bisson
James Bisson is the Editor-in-Chief of Sportsbook Review. He has been a writer, reporter and editor for more than 20 years, including a nine-year stint with The Canadian Press and more than five years at theScore. He has covered dozens of marquee events including the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2006 Stanley Cup final and Wrestlemania 23, and his work has appeared in more than 200 publications, including the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, Yahoo! Sports, the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. His book, “100 Greatest Canadian Sports Moments”, was a hardcover best-seller in Canada in 2008 and earned him appearances on CBC Radio and Canada AM. He has written more than 50 sportsbook reviews, more than 200 industry news articles and dozens of other sportsbook-related content articles. A graduate of the broadcast journalism program at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), James has been an avid bettor since the early 2000s, and cites bet365 as his favorite sports betting site due to its superior functionality and quick payouts. His favorite piece of sports betting advice: "Stay in your lane. You're much more likely to have success betting sports you know, and focusing on finding angles and edges there."