Nebraska Senate advances limited sports betting bill
The Nebraska Senate moved a step closer Thursday to legalizing sports betting at racetrack casinos but not without controversy.
The unicameral body is in the process of debating LB 561, a broad gaming expansion bill that was drafted in response to Nebraska voters’ support of casino gambling last November.
The bill, which would allow casino gambling and retail sports betting at the state’s six racetracks, initially faced resistance from senators opposed to wagering on in-state college sports teams.
On Thursday, the Senate adopted an amendment that bans wagers on sports contests played in Nebraska involving local college teams. Games featuring college teams played out of state would be eligible for wagers.
For example, residents could wager on Nebraska Cornhuskers or Creighton Bluejays road games played in a different state but not ones played in Lincoln or Omaha.
The compromise drew skepticism from at least one legislator. Sen. Tom Briese told TV station 3 News Now, “It encourages Nebraskans to place illegal bets, online or with those bookies, sends more tax dollars to Iowa. Enhances the profit of the Iowa casinos.”
The Senate previously rejected a similar amendment to LB 561, but with weeks remaining on the 2021 legislative calendar, lawmakers are under greater urgency to get a bill passed.
Sports betting legalization in the Cornhusker State appeared to be a longshot only a couple months ago. Nebraska’s gaming expansion referendum did not explicitly include sports betting, so lawmakers had to declare the activity as a “game of chance” for it to be included in a gaming bill.
A final vote on LB 561 could come as early as next week. If passed, it would need approval from Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts.
As it stands now, Nebraska’s sports betting legislation does not account for mobile wagering.
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