Nebraska online sports gambling bill facing tough odds
The legalization of sports betting in Nebraska faces an uphill climb as at least one state senator has promised to filibuster at the next debate stage.
Resolution 20CA, put forward by State Senator Eliot Bostar, proposes putting the question of legalization to voters during the November 2026 election.
The vote passed by 27 to 16 in the first round of Senate debates and would generally require 30 to pass the next stage. However, a full filibuster would mean it would need 33 votes.
According to Bostar, three out of six legislators absent for Monday’s vote would vote in favor in the second round, but that still leaves the bill potentially three votes short.
The prospect of legal sports betting in Nebraska has divided opinion. Several prominent figures, including former governor Kay Orr and former Huskers football coach Tom Osborne, have been active in opposing it.
However, proponents have pointed out that Nebraskans are crossing the border into Iowa to wager on sports. Bostar, who has claimed that sports betting could raise as much as US$32 million in state revenue each year, argued that the issue was not about personal attitudes to sports betting.
“I don’t want you to like sports betting, but I would hope that you would find an offense in us giving our money away to Iowa,” Bostar said.
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