Two Nebraska sports betting petitions have met the required signature and county-distribution thresholds and are set for the November 3 general election, as confirmed by the Secretary of State’s office on Friday.
The full ballot must be certified by September 11. The constitutional petition gathered at least 138,473 valid signatures spanning 64 counties, while the statute petition obtained 96,918 valid signatures across 55 counties.
The proposed constitutional amendment aims to modify Article III, Section 24, to permit the legislature to authorize and regulate online sports betting. Currently, bettors must be physically located in Nebraska to place a wager, while the corresponding statute outlines the operational framework.
Under the proposal, authorized gaming operators would be able to offer online sports betting directly or through contracted platform providers. Servers would need to be located in Nebraska, and each operator would be restricted to two platforms operated by providers.
Operators and platform providers would need to submit their operating controls to the State Racing and Gaming Commission for approval. The commission would have until June 1, 2027, to establish regulations, while the statutory measure would take effect on January 1, 2027.
The proposal also includes a provision requiring winnings to be checked against the state debt-collection system before being paid out.
A constitutional amendment necessitates signatures equal to 10% of registered voters, along with support from voters in 38 counties. An initiated statute requires signatures from 7% of registered voters statewide and the same county threshold.
Verification was halted by election officials once each petition reached 110% of the respective requirement, as allowed by state law.
Nebraska presently only permits sports wagering at authorized betting windows and kiosks within licensed racetrack enclosures. Bettors must be at least 21 years old, and mobile betting is not allowed.
All neighboring states now offer some form of sports wagering. Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Wyoming allow statewide mobile betting, while South Dakota limits legal betting to Deadwood casinos.
Past attempts to introduce mobile sports betting in Nebraska through the legislature have been unsuccessful. A special session package in 2024, LR3CA, and LB13 were indefinitely postponed. Last year, LR20CA progressed to Select File but was stalled and ultimately postponed, along with companion bill LB421, in April.