Nebraska online sports betting referendum on pace for ballot
A signature-gathering initiative could allow Nebraska voters to decide whether online sports betting will be legalized
Nebraska is the latest state pushing to legalize online sports betting through a voter referendum, and that push is starting to gain some major momentum. The "Tax Relief Nebraska" campaign reports it is on pace to collect the necessary amount of signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 general election ballot. The deadline to collect these signatures is July 2, and the group began collecting signatures in February.
Sports betting was legalized in Nebraska in May of 2021, which came months after voters approved a casino gaming initiative in November 2020. Retail sports betting officially launched in June 2023. Nebraska bettors must be 21 or older to place bets. Betting on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in football or basketball is legal, but only if the team is playing outside of the state. This is the latest of a multi-year push to legalize online sports betting in the state, which hit different stops at the legislative level.
Sports betting is legal in Nebraska at licensed racetrack casinos but it's not legal via online means. If this initiative moves to the ballot and is approved, each online sports betting platform must be tethered to a physical casino. Each retail location would be allowed to partner with one or two digital platforms. DraftKings and FanDuel, two of the biggest and most popular sports betting apps available in the United States, are backing this push to legalize online sports betting in the state of Nebraska. Each sportsbook has donated $1.1 million to these efforts.
Tax Relief Nebraska will have to hit some key benchmarks in regards to the signatures the group collects. There are two petitions necessary here -- one to amend the state's constitution, and one to create the state statute in regards to online sports betting. For a constitutional amendment, 10% of registered Nebraska voters – roughly 125,000 – must sign the petition for legalizing online sports betting. Seven percent of registered voters -- roughly 88,000 -- must sign the petition in regards to the state statute. Additionally, signature gatherers must secure signatures from 5% or more of registered voters in at least 38 of the state's 93 counties.
If the referendum makes it to the ballot and it is approved by Nebraska voters, 70% of tax revenue from online sports betting would be distributed as property tax credits. Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, a research firm, estimates that legalizing online sports betting could net Nebraska roughly $61 million in additional tax relief over five years along with $87 million in new tax revenue over that same time period.
