Nebraska lawmakers introduced a bill on Thursday that would allow existing gaming operators to launch online sports betting.
Sen. Eliot Bostar’s Legislative Bill 13 would amend the state constitution to clear the way for racetrack operators to offer an online sports wagering platform under the Nebraska Racetrack Gaming Act. The state legalized retail betting in 2021.
In addition to legalizing online betting, the bill would repeal the state’s current ban on betting on in-state college sport teams.
However, player prop bets on Nebraska college athletes would not be allowed, nor would placing in-game bets on Nebraska college teams or betting on the performance of any athlete anywhere under the age of 18.
Gov. Jim Pillen had voiced his support for online sports betting legalization at a press conference last week. ‘
“Online sports betting is real, and it’s happening in the state,” he said. “Whoever wants to do it is doing it, and we’re giving all the revenue to our neighbors.”
The bill was one of more than a dozen introduced on Thursday as state lawmakers mull over ways to address Nebraska’s contentious property tax question.
As such, LB13 stipulates that 90% of sports betting tax revenue would be allocated specifically to property tax relief via the Property Tax Credit Cash Fund.
Nebraska considers fantasy sports
A separate bill introduced in Thursday’s special session, Sen. Carol Blood’s LB6, proposes the introduction of the Fantasy Contests Act to allow paid-entry fantasy contests throughout Nebraska.
The definition of fantasy in the bill is very broad and would include both peer-to-peer and against-the-house fantasy contests.
If passed, the act would make Nebraska the first state to base its licensing fee structure on operators’ revenue, as opposed to the common approach of charging a license fee plus a percentage of revenue as tax.
After paying an initial registration fee of $10,000 to the Department of Revenue, operators would pay an annual renewal fee equating to 6% of their gross gaming revenue in Nebraska over the previous 12 months. There would be no additional taxes beyond that fee.
