Nebraska voters will decide in November whether the state should authorise mobile sports betting linked to licensed racetracks.
The Secretary of State’s office confirmed on 21 August that two related petitions had met the required signature and distribution thresholds. Both measures will appear on the 3 November general election ballot, with final certification due by 11 September.
The constitutional petition secured 138,473 valid signatures from 64 counties, while the accompanying statute collected 96,918 valid signatures from 55 counties. It would change Article III, Section 24 to allow the legislature to authorise and regulate internet sports wagering.
Bettors would have to be physically located in Nebraska when placing wagers.
Proposed framework would limit operators to two mobile platforms
The statute outlines how the market would operate. Licensed gaming operators could offer online betting directly or through contracted platform providers. Servers would have to be located in Nebraska, and each operator would be limited to two platforms.
Operators and providers would need to submit operating controls to the State Racing and Gaming Commission for approval. The commission would have until 1 June 2027 to issue regulations, while the statutory measure would take effect on 1 January 2027.
The proposal would also require winnings to be checked against Nebraska’s debt-collection system before payments are released. Nebraska allows sports wagering only through approved windows and kiosks inside licensed racetrack enclosures. Customers must be at least 21, and mobile betting is prohibited.
Ballot route follows repeated failures in the legislature
Nebraska lawmakers have made several unsuccessful attempts to expand sports betting beyond retail venues.
A 2024 special-session package involving LR3CA and LB13 was indefinitely postponed. LR20CA advanced to Select File last year but later stalled, while it and companion bill LB421 were postponed in April.
Conversely, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Wyoming permit statewide mobile wagering, while South Dakota limits betting to Deadwood casinos. Nationally, sports betting is legal in 39 states and Washington, DC.
US commercial gaming revenue reached a record $78.72bn last year, up 9.2%, with sports betting contributing $16.89bn, an increase of 22.6%. Sports betting revenue fell 1.8% year-on-year in May to $1.34bn from $12.06bn in wagers, partly due to prediction market activity decline according to the American Gaming Association.
Nebraska’s ballot initiative gives voters a direct route to decide an issue lawmakers have repeatedly failed to settle. If approved, the bigger challenge will be to build competitive mobile markets, while preserving the state’s racetrack-linked structure and regulatory structures.
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