Nebraska lawmakers advance online sports betting constitutional amendment
The move would allow a vote on a constitutional amendment on the 2026 general election ballot.
US.- Lawmakers in Nebraska have advanced a proposal that could allow licensed racetracks in the state to offer online sports betting. LR20CA, sponsored by senator Eliot Bostar, would place a proposed constitutional amendment on the 2026 general election ballot.
Lawmakers voted 27-16 to advance the proposal to the second round of debate, just two votes over the 25 votes needed. The measure will require 30 votes for final passage. The bill has now been sent to the Enrollment and Review Initial stage, which will involve a review of the language and could see amendments adopted.
If the measure makes it to the ballot and is approved by voters, authorised gaming operators would be able to offer sports wagering within a licensed racetrack enclosure and via electronic platforms within Nebraska’s borders.
Senator Bostar said that in the 2024-25 football season, there were more than 83,000 active mobile sports wagering accounts in Nebraska, 3.9 million attempts to access regulated online sports books from inside Nebraska’s borders and 42,000 border crossings, with 92 per cent going to Iowa to place a bet.
He says Nebraska is losing approximately $32m in annual tax revenue that could be used for property tax relief and to help problem gamblers. Bostar said that if the Legislature doesn’t vote to place the proposal on the 2026 ballot, the industry has indicated it will launch an initiative petition proposing a 6.5 per cent tax rate as opposed to the current 20 per cent tax on casino revenue.
