After a long awaited debut, Nebraska sports betting has officially been live at various retail locations for a few months now. Gambling enthusiasts are naturally relieved. But many are also disappointed.
Why?
Because sports betting in Nebraska still doesn't permit wagering on in-state college football—or, for that matter, any in-state college event.
Why has The Cornhusker State set up legal sports betting with such a unique, albeit not unprecedented, exclusion? And will they ever allow betting on college football and other in-state collegiate sports?
The early returns from sports wagering throughout Nebraska are starting to trickle in. It's time to start making sense of them.
Why Does Nebraska Sports Betting Exclude Betting on In-State College Events?
People initially became privy to Nebraska's college gambling policy when the state finally cobbled together what they referred to as a "Sports Wagering Catalog." This was essentially a "master list" of the sports on which residents would be allowed to gamble. Its release was considered a pivotal part of the process. Nebraska first agreed to legalize sports in 2020 but never came close to setting up an infrastructure or rolling it out. Piecing together an official list of state-approved sports that could be wagered on was a legitimately big deal.
This Sports Wagering Catalog included almost everything. It listed everything from well-known leagues such as the NHL, MLB, NBA and NFL to more specialized activities such as snooker, archery, corn hole and many more. The document was so extensive that it didn't just include Major League Baseball in its contents. It also specified "that gambling will be allowed on spring training, the regular season, postseason, All-Star Game, All-Star Game Home Run Derby and All-Star Game MVP," per Joe Dejka of the Omaha World-Herald.
Many eventually began to notice that Nebraska college football wasn't part of the Sports Wagering Catalog. And while this was always a possibility, the terms of the document raised some eyebrows. Nebraskans would be allowed to bet on out-of-state college events but not competitions taking place inside the region. To further complicate matters, though, the state stipulated this rule would not apply to bowl games and various other championship tilts. Dejka outlined the full details in his piece for the Omaha World-Herald:
"As for college football, the list includes NCAA Division I football regular season, bowl games and the national championship. But Nebraska state law prohibits wagering on an in-state collegiate sporting event in which an in-state college or university team is a participant. So no betting on the Cornhusker football team when it plays at Memorial Stadium or on a Creighton University team when it plays at home."
Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission Chair Dennis Lee was recently asked to explain why the laws are set up in this way. “The Legislature essentially tells us what authority we have and we don’t have," he explained. "And right now we have no authority to permit a sports-wagering facility in Nebraska to accept wagers on any college sport when that college sport is played in Nebraska." Put another way, this answer essentially amounts to "It's beyond our control."
State Officials Attempted to Rewrite Nebraska Sports Gambling Laws This Past Year
If you feel this policy is backwards or nonsensical, you're most certainly alone.
Some state officials reportedly tried to change it earlier this year before Nebraska sports betting went live. A bill was proposed by Senator Eliot Bostar of Lincoln that would have removed the "in-state non-championship" restriction during the latest round of legislative meetings. His proposal, however, never gained enough support to warrant serious consideration.
Whether that changes in time for the next legislature session will be a matter of course.
Tom Sage, the executive director of the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, is hopeful. He noted that the state plans to continue adding approved sports to and tweaking the terms of the Sports Wagering Catalog as time goes on. That suggests a level of flexibility and open-mindedness.
The Future of Nebraska Sports Betting is Complicated
Still, giving Nebraskans permission to bet on college football odds for games taking place in the state will not be the quickest process. It will require amending a state law, which means it needs to take place during legislative sessions. And since the state legislature meets only once a year, Nebraska won't have an endless number of chances to change their gaming policies.
Sports bettors in Nebraska will have to be patient. But that's easier said than done. The state doesn't have any professional sports franchises directly inside their market. The Nebraska Cornhuskers football team is the most popular game in town. Preventing gamblers from betting on their events will no doubt cost the state additional revenue.
It doesn't help matters that Nebraska has also only legalized in-person sports betting. That inherently limits the number of locations at which residents can place wagers.
Many can still access some of the best online sportsbooks in the United States, but it requires VPN workarounds, crossing state lines or wagering off-shore. Pairing this restriction with Nebraska's college sports betting policies may not sit well long term.
Immediately, residents are probably just excited legal sports gambling is finally live. Down the line, though, they'll start to wonder why Nebraska is among the few states without college football betting or legal online sports wagering.
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