Nebraska Could Put Online Sports Betting on the November Ballot

Nebraska could soon become the next state to legalize online sports betting, as Tax Relief Nebraska is confident it has secured enough valid signatures to place two petitions seeking to legalize online sports betting on the ballot on November 3. Some Oppose Legalizing Online Sports Betting The legalization of online sports betting has been in discussion in Nebraska since last year. In January, two separate bills aimed at legalizing the practice carried over into this legislative season. However, it has still taken well over half a year for Legislative Resolution 20CA, the second of the two bills, to gain enough traction to be put on a ballot. Of course, not everyone is convinced that legalizing online sports betting would be a good thing. Pat Loontjer, executive director of Gambling with the Good Life, an organization opposed to gambling, said wagering is damaging college sports and putting financial strain on individuals, particularly young people. She argued that college students could face significant financial consequences from gambling, potentially jeopardizing money they might otherwise save for their futures. Mike Sciandra of the Nebraska Council on Problem Gambling is officially neutral on the issue but is focused on ensuring adequate safeguards are in place. The council provides education about gambling addiction and advocates for access to treatment for problem gambling. Sciandra said mobile sports betting has been shown in other states to be roughly three to four times more addictive and more likely to contribute to problem gambling than traditional casino gambling. Others raised concerns about how taxes are going to be collected. Proponents of online sports betting say that this could be a significant source of income for the state, but Ryan Butler, a senior editor covering the gaming industry for Covers, said that collecting taxes would be a logistical challenge. He noted that determining which county should receive the tax revenue could be complicated when a bettor travels through multiple counties while using a sports betting app. What Do Proponents of the Idea Say? Proponents of legalizing online sports betting in the state say that many Nebraskans already engage in online gambling. Testimony before the Nebraska Legislature from a geofencing company showed that, over one year, residents crossed the state border roughly 40,000 times to place mobile sports bets in states where online wagering is legal. Neighboring Iowa was the most common destination. Others say the state could benefit from the taxes collected from online sports betting. WarHorse Casinos, the leading casino operator in the state, which last year announced a $300 million expansion, has publicly supported the bills. Lynne McNally, director of government relations at WarHorse Casinos, said using paid petition circulators is essential to having a realistic chance of getting the measure on the ballot. She said the Tax Relief Nebraska committee is on track to submit enough signatures to the Secretary of State’s office. The group needs roughly 88,000 signatures for one petition to establish an online gambling law and about 126,000 for a second petition to enshrine it in the Nebraska Constitution. However, some have raised concerns about the integrity of sports should online sports betting become legal. McNally explained that WarHorse has asked Nebraska Athletics what steps the casino could take to help protect the integrity of college sports if the proposal passes. McNally also said WarHorse already maintains a self-exclusion program that allows problem gamblers to voluntarily ban themselves from wagering, and that option would also be available for online betting.