Nebraska may launch sports betting soon

Nebraska’s legal sports betting rules have been approved by the Office of the Attorney General.

US.- The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission estimates that the state could launch legal sports betting with the start of March Madness. Last week, the framework of rules approved by commissioners in October has cleared review by the Attorney General’s office and now the rules will go to the governor’s office for review.

Tom Sage, executive director of the state’s Racing and Gaming Commission, told The Grand Island Independent, once Gov. Jim Pillen signs off, a process that could take several weeks, they will be submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office and become official approximately a week after that.

Sage said that it may be unlikely that legal Nebraska sports betting will be ready before next February’s Super Bowl. However, the state will likely capitalise on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in March.

The new regulations require all sports gambling to be done in person, on the grounds of a racetrack casino, which for now includes only the temporary spaces at Grand Island’s Fonner Park and WarHorse Lincoln.

The rules also prohibit betting on games that are played within the state. The rules also lay out technical aspects of sports wagering, including what kinds of events people can bet on and what kinds of bets they can make.

The state’s two temporary casinos in Lincoln and Fonner Park generated $856,000 in tax revenues during December 2022 and a total of $2.8m in tax revenues for 2022.

Nebraska voters said yes to an expansion of gaming in November 2020. All six licensed horse tracks, located in Lincoln, Omaha, South Sioux City, Columbus, Grand Island and Hastings, have announced plans to add casinos. Six additional racetracks have been proposed in Bellevue, Gering, Kimball, Norfolk, North Platte and York.