Nebraska Gaming Officials Urge Governor To Consider Online Sports Betting
Gaming officials in Nebraska are lobbying for Governor Jim Pillen and lawmakers to put online sports betting on the November ballot. Currently, Nebraska only has retail sportsbooks, with limited mobile sports betting on casino grounds. For statewide online betting to launch, a constitutional amendment would be required, which requires a statewide vote. Officials estimate an additional $30 million annually for property tax relief through revenue from mobile sports betting apps.
Nebraska Gaming Officials Want Online Betting For Property Tax Relief
Gov. Pillen and lawmakers will meet on July 25 for a special session. Gaming officials want Gov. Pillen to include Nebraska mobile sports betting in the discussions during this session. Sports betting would need 30 votes from lawmakers to become an additional amendment on the November ballot.
According to Lance Morgan of Ho Chunk Inc., operators of War Horse Casinos, 65% of Nebraskans support online sports betting.
“It’s additive. It’s not a tax shift. And so we think that’s a pretty viable option. And we’ve been proposing that to be part of this special session,” said Morgan to KETV. “We did a poll, and 65% of the Nebraskans support it.”
State Sen. Terrell McKinney supports the idea, believing Nebraska is missing out on revenue from locals traveling to Iowa to wager online. Gov. Pillen has stated his disapproval of a statewide mobile betting market in Nebraska but admits Nebraska is missing out on revenue. The governor says he is in favor of mobile betting only because of the revenue. Gov. Pillen wants to cut property taxes in half in Nebraska. This would require an estimated $1.8 billion.
Clock Is Ticking For Nebraska Online Sports Betting
This special session will determine the future of online sports betting in Nebraska for the next two years. Getting the sports betting issue on the November ballot is important for the market to launch soon. Otherwise, the next chance lawmakers will have will be the November 26 election.
During that time, more revenue could move from Nebraska to neighboring betting markets that have mobile betting. Nebraska’s neighbors, Iowa, Colorado, and Kansas, all have statewide mobile sports betting. Potential Nebraska tax dollars will likely continue to be spent in those markets if the issue does not reach the November ballot.
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