Save Nebraska Sports launches campaign against Nebraska online betting measures
State officials and coaches argue two November ballot questions would deliver too little property tax relief to justify expanding wagering to phones.
US.- A coalition called Save Nebraska Sports has launched a campaign against two ballot measures that would legalise online sports betting in Nebraska. The measures, sponsored by Tax Relief Nebraska, are to appear on the November 3 general election ballot.
Speakers at the launch included Nebraska state auditor Mike Foley, state treasurer Joey Spellerberg and University of Nebraska football assistant coach Ron Brown. Grasz also read a statement from former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne, who was not present.
Nate Grasz, executive director of the Nebraska Family Alliance, said: “They are seeking to make a profit at the expense of Nebraska families, businesses, fans and student athletes.”
Foley said voters were being offered a “false promise of property tax relief”. He said any tax collected would be small compared with the sums that would flow to out-of-state operators.
Spellerberg said an estimated $87m in property tax relief would first require Nebraskans to lose more than $435m in bets. He said: “It will follow us onto our phones through apps, advertisements, promotions, notifications, day and night, and this matters because our kids are going to grow up in this environment.”
Osborne’s statement, read by Grasz, said: “As a coach, I saw firsthand the immense pressure student athletes face. Some of the harshest criticism athletes receive is not for losing, but for failing to beat a point spread or reach a certain number of yards, completions or touchdowns. Online sports gambling turns an athletic contest into a gambling exercise with someone else’s money riding on the performance of young men and women.”
Nebraska currently allows sports betting only in person at licensed racetrack casinos. Voters authorised that retail market, along with racetrack casinos, in 2020. One of the proposed measures would amend the Nebraska constitution to authorise online sports wagering when the bettor is physically in the state. The companion statutory initiative would set the regulatory and tax framework and direct the state gaming commission to adopt rules for operators and wagers.
If approved, 70 per cent of the resulting tax revenue would go to property tax credits, matching the allocation used for casino taxes. A report commissioned by Tax Relief Nebraska has estimated just under $87m in new state tax revenue over five years.
