Nebraska Online Sports Betting Faces Two Big Hurdles

After initially looking like it might fizzle out, the latest Nebraska online sports betting bill has cleared a couple of obstacles that give its sponsors hope for success. But there remains a handful of other roadblocks it must clear before it can reach the hands of voters’

These two obstacles are essentially one in the same: a pair pending Senate floor votes.

It remains unclear whether this initiative to legalize Nebraska online sports betting, titled Legislative Resolution 20CA (LR 20CA), will have the momentum necessary to get over the hump. However, it did clear the first Senate floor vote, winning by a margin of 27-16. It also survived the General Affairs Committee to even reach that Senate floor.

This is to some extent proof of concept. Senator Eliot Bostar is sponsoring LR 20CA because he believes Nebraskans want online sports betting. Even if they don’t, he and many others believe they deserve the right to choose. That Nebraska online sports betting stands to be worth millions of dollars in additional tax revenue each year no doubt has something to do with mounting support as well.

Still, the voting population will not get to have their say unless the Senate green lights LR 20CA for the 2026 electoral ballot. As has been the case since Nebraska retail sports betting launched in 2023, the question is: Will enough members of the Senate approve of the online sports gambling bill to push it through?

Nebraska Online Sports Betting Requires Supermajority Senate Approval

Unlike the first Senate floor vote, the final two stages require supermajority approval. This means 30 of 49 Nebraska Senators must give LR 20CA their stamp of approval. And again: This needs to happen twice.

Optimists will cling to the idea that the Nebraska online sports beting initiative is clearly close to receiving the necessary number of “yays” when the Senate votes again. The measure finished just three votes shy of supermajority approval in the first floor vote. Swaying another three Senate members feels entirely doable.

Then again, it might be harder than many think. Some Senate members are only offering their initial stamp of approval to ensure the matter warrants further discussion. These policymakers are not necessarily sold on LR 20CA as currently constructed—or on legal Nebraska online sports betting in general.

In reality, then, Bostar and the rest of The Cornhusker State’s mobile wagering advocates must convert more than three votes. The number may be closer to eight, 12 or even more than that.

It Remains Unclear Whether Nebraska’s Voters will Support Online Sports Betting Legalization

Complicated still, many arguments in favor of online sports betting in Nebraska boils down to “state residents clearly want it.” So many different numbers are being thrown around, most of which paint the public’s approval rating in the high 50th percentile or will into the 60th percentile.

As Bob Nightingale of SBC Americas writes, however, this may not actually be the case:

“Bostar and other lawmakers have also suggested they are wary of the industry forcing the issue. ‘We saw last February that proponents were considering moving forward with a petition effort,’ Bostar said, as quoted by local media. ‘If that happens, with public support hovering in the mid to high 60 percent range, the version that reaches the ballot may not reflect the careful regulatory framework that this body would establish.”

“But at the last public hearing on March 10, the committee received only three testimony submissions in support, versus 51 opposing it. Dissenters have focused mainly on fears that the industry will prey on vulnerable populations such as young men, as well as doubts over the money it would raise for the state.”

This discrepancy in public support could be problematic. Fewer Senate members will vote “yay” if they believe LR 20CA is desinted to fail at the polls.

Defaulting to “Residents deserve the right to choose no matter their answer” only gets you so far to overcoming that obstacle. Ballot initiatives require financial and logistical resources. If lawmakers do not envision Nebraska online sports betting as having a puncher’s chance of legalization, they are unlikely to waste their time on LR 20CA.

There May Be No Getting Around Other Sports Gambling Concerns

Like Nightingale notes in his piece, many members of the Senate are also worried about the overarching impact online sports betting in the United States has on the general population. Every other state has exhibited the same concerns—regardless of whether they have actually legalized sports betting.

While many places have decided the potential benefits outweigh the risks, policymakers often come to feel differently after the fact. Multiple studies show markets with legal sports betting endure noticeable upticks in calls to problem gambling hotlines. Further research also suggests the legalization of sports betting can lead to increases in bankruptcy reportings, though this hypothesis is not as extensively explored just yet.

Of course, Nebraskan lawmakers could attempt to combat ill effects by being proactive with more stringent regulation than we see in other markets. At the same time, it is tough to know whether that can work. Other states like Massachusetts and Ohio, among others, have contemplated or implemented more safeguards. Yet, it will be some time before they understand the efficacy rate of those measures.

Mash everything we discuss here together, and it sure seems like Nebraska online sports betting legalization remains a long shot. In fact, given the state legislature couldn’t get to a second Senate floor vote before adjourning in early June, they may have already given us their answer on where the supermajority stands.

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