Nebraska lawmakers to consider online sports betting
Nebraska could soon offer legal and regulated online sports betting thanks to a new bill that a state legislative committee heard this week.
Currently, Nebraskans looking to place real-money sports bets must go to a retail casino or travel to another state. Those who prefer to bet online can only do so at illegal offshore betting sites, which means the state loses significant tax revenue.
According to Senator Eliot Bostar, who proposed the recent bill, regulating sports betting would generate US$32 million in additional tax revenue a year.
“There were 3.9 million attempts to access regulated online sports books from inside Nebraska’s borders, and 42,000 border crossings, with 92% going into Iowa to place a bet,” Bostar told Nebraska Public Media.
“The demand for mobile sports betting is clear, and it’s in our best interest to regulate and benefit from it. Nebraska’s property taxes are among the highest in the nation, heavily impacting homeowners, farmers and small business owners. Directing revenues from online mobile sports betting to the property tax credit fund can provide much-needed relief.”
The proposal would create a constitutional amendment, meaning that if approved by the legislature, Nebraskan residents would have to vote to agree on it in next year’s general election.
While it would be popular with many sports fans, there are many outspoken opponents to the bill, including Nate Grasz of the Nebraska Family Alliance, who argued that the legalization of sports betting would lead to a rise in addiction and bankruptcy.
Other critics of the bill, like Jacob Wolff, came forward to share with the committee the financial loss he experienced while online gambling in a state where sports betting was legal.
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