With the 109th Legislature getting underway in Lincoln over the past week, multiple bills have been introduced over sports gambling.
One of those bills, LB421 introduced by Kearney Sen. Stan Clouse, would allow online sports wagering platform under the Nebraska Racetrack Gaming Act. It has been assigned to the General Affairs committee.
The bill is very similar to a bill that was introduced during the Unicameral’s special session this summer by Sen. Eliot Bostar.
The 15 page bill also changes the distribution of taxes collected from sports wagering.
According to Legal Sports Report, Nebraskans can legally wager on sports in person at four locations, including the Grand Island Casino Resort. Neighboring states Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, and Wyoming allow for online sports betting. Missouri voters have approved online sports gambling, but the state’s gaming commission has yet to award any licensees.
In August, a group of senators announced their opposition to online sports gambling, including the former senators for Kearney and Grand Island, John Lowe and Ray Aguliar. After elections this November, 7 of the 13 senators who voiced their opposition are still in the unicameral, including Central City’s Loren Lippincott of District 34.
You can read the full text of the bill here.
