Despite sports betting and gambling in general becoming more commonplace within the realm of American professional sports, it might be difficult to comprehend that large portions of the United States still do not have access to legal online sports betting. In the modern day, you cannot watch a sporting event on TV without some element of gambling being thrust front and center. Whether it be the point spreads talked about during pregame shows or the myriad of sports betting advertisements shown during commercial breaks, sports betting has slowly but surely been accepted as a fundamental
part of the sports-watching experience.
In Nebraska however, the topic of legalized online sports betting is a polarizing one. The Cornhusker state only recently opened the doors to in-person sports betting and the current push for online sportsbooks has been rife with challenges and opposition. Just recently, more than 10 state senators came out to publicly oppose any move the Cornhusker state might make to legalize betting on sports.
Sports Betting in Nebraska Hanging On by a Thread
Nebraska’s state government has recently been holding a special session that has focused, in part, on the prospect of legalizing and regulating online sports betting within the state. Throughout the summer, the news for sports betting enthusiasts in Nebraska has been overwhelmingly negative, with support for legal and regulated sports betting waning. Just last week, the move to establish online sports betting might have been dealt a fatal blow as 13 state senators came out in unison to decry any attempts to legalize online sports betting.
Tax Incentive Is Not Enough
In many ways, Nebraska is unlike the rest of the country when it comes to its views on gambling. Despite neighboring states like Iowa, Oklahoma, and Colorado raking in tax revenues from both in-person and online sports betting, Nebraska only moved to legalize in-person betting a few years ago. When that happened, proponents of brick and mortar casinos hailed future tax revenues generated as being something that will tangibly help bolster the financial position of the Cornhusker state; a sparsely populated one that is always seeking additional sources of tax revenue. So far, opponents claim, those tax windfalls have yet to really make a positive impact on the state’s budget.
As part of a larger statement, the 13 state senators wrote that, “any effort to expand gambling further or legalize online sports betting, be it a Constitutional Amendment or a statutory end-run, is a poison pill and will lose our support for the bill.” Though harsh, this public statement made the already unlikely prospect of Nebraska online sportsbooks being legalized this year a near certainty.
Senator Eliot Bostar, the brainchild behind sports betting expansion in Nebraska, would like to make this expansion happen by way of an amendment to the law that allows for in-person sports betting at approved locations across the state, the Nebraska Racetrack Gaming Act. Even though Bostar was able to get the amendment through the state’s general affairs committee, it has yet to be brought up on the senate floor and there are only limited opportunities to make that happen before the end of this legislative session. All things considered and based on the way things currently look, it is safe to say that 2024 is not likely to be the year Nebraskans are able to place sports bets from the comfort of their own home, nor even look forward to doing so anytime soon.
Despite there being no legal Nebraska online sportsbooks coming into the fold this year, there is a feeling that the legalization of online betting is inevitable. Every day of every year, Nebraskans who find themselves over the border in Iowa or Colorado will spend their time and money placing bets there. After some time, the need to control and capture this tax revenue will surely force the hand of Nebraska lawmakers.