Backers of online sports betting in Nebraska submit signatures to get on 2026 ballot

LINCOLN — The question of whether online sports betting should be legal in Nebraska will likely come before voters this November.

Lynne McNally, director of government relations for WarHorse casino, confirmed that the group Tax Relief Nebraska submitted signatures for a pair of petitions to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office on Friday, ahead of its July 2 deadline.

The group submitted more than 201,000 signatures for a petition seeking a constitutional amendment to legalize online sports betting, and submitted roughly 146,000 signatures for an accompanying petition that would set up the statutory framework for taxes and direct 70% of the revenues to property tax credits — the same as casino taxes.

Now, McNally said the campaign is waiting for verification from all 93 Nebraska counties, but the number of signatures submitted well exceeds the minimum requirement. The constitutional amendment petition required roughly 126,000 signatures, while the other needed about 88,000.

Legalizing online sports betting has been a topic of debate in Nebraska for the past several years, with multiple attempts in the state Legislature failing to garner enough support to pass. Critics have long argued that the possible revenue benefits do not outweigh the social costs of the state effectively encouraging gambling.

The campaign submitted signatures with little fanfare. McNally said they didn’t feel the need to make an event out of it because many Nebraskans already engage in online gambling, and just do it illegally.

If the initiatives qualify for the ballot, McNally said the group’s next steps would be an informational campaign, with its main message being that legalizing online sports betting would keep tax revenues in Nebraska, rather than diverting them to other states where it’s already legal.

The lack of an official announcement was “absolutely not” because of pushback the campaign received from opposing groups like the Nebraska Family Alliance, McNally said. The lobbying group issued a press release June 18 that called the petition drive “a sham” and accused its members of misleading voters.

“I don’t typically rely on anything the Nebraska Family Alliance does or says,” McNally said.

Report says legalizing online sports betting in Nebraska could generate $87M over 5 years

The Nebraska Family Alliance took aim at the campaign’s claim that legalizing online sports betting would generate just under $87 million in new state tax revenue over five years. If true, the release said that would imply Nebraskans had spent roughly $435 million on online gambling during that time, and claimed the initiatives would only offset property taxes by less than 1%.

“To tell voters this is about tax relief, when the proposal is actually a major expansion of online gambling financed by out-of-state gambling companies — whose own estimates show less than a quarter of one percent in property tax relief — is a complete sham and raises serious questions about election integrity,” Nate Grasz, executive director of the Nebraska Family Alliance, said in the press release.

McNally accused the Nebraska Family Alliance of cherry picking what causes they choose to be “morally outraged” about. She noted that the group supported successful legislation earlier this year to increase taxes on skill game machines commonly found at gas stations.

Grasz said the basis of the Nebraska Family Alliance’s support was due to the legislation also increasing regulations on underage play and adding restrictions on advertising.

McNally said the tax relief potential associated with the ballot initiatives is “a fact,” as the language is modeled after a previous voter-approved initiative to legalize casino gambling.

According to state documents on Nebraska’s gaming tax, the state’s five casinos generated more than $52.3 million in tax revenue in 2025, with roughly $36.6 million of that going toward property tax credits. This year is on track to exceed that amount, as more than $26.9 million in gaming taxes have been generated through May 2026.

“If that’s not property tax relief, I don’t know what is,” McNally said.

If both initiatives succeed on the ballot, then online sports betting companies could partner with Nebraska’s casinos to provide online gambling options. McNally said WarHorse has already contracted with several companies to do this, including FanDuel, DraftKings and MGM.