Nebraska is pushing to legalize online sports betting, seeking to join a growing list of states benefiting from the industry’s revenue potential. Two senators, Stanley Clouse and Eliot Bostar, are championing two distinct bills.
The first outlines a regulatory framework for sports betting (LB 421), while the other seeks to return the decision to the voters through a constitutional amendment (20 CA). Clouse’s bill is contingent upon the legislature’s approval of the constitutional amendment.
Sen. Clouse's legalization argument was that the state would benefit economically from online sports betting complementing physical gambling locations.
“They would be tied into the brick and mortar casinos that we have, so that they have the capacity or the structure in place where they can manage that and make sure that we are capturing the revenue, and that would be a partner with the existing casinos that have been approved by the voters and are presently under construction,”
The senator also seeks to remove existing restrictions on intercollegiate games played in the state.
“What happens is, everybody goes across the river (to) bet on the in-state games. I mean, it’s not stopping it. So we need to see if we can manage it in some manner.”
The bill includes a 20% tax rate on online sports betting revenues, which aligns with that of most states where digitized gambling is legal. Three percent of generated tax revenue would go to the addictive gamblers assistance fund.
“It’s not an endorsement of gambling by any means," the senator states. "It’s just how do we manage that. And you also have to put the guardrails in there that you make sure if it becomes problematic, that there is money and there are resources available to handle those that it becomes addictive (to), because it is addictive."