In a three-hour hearing, Nebraska lawmakers from its legislature General Affairs Committee listened as proponents and opponents of its online sports betting bill LR20CA said their piece as lawmakers consider implementing a winner-take-all system by adding it to the next electoral ballot, leaving it up to Nebraskans to vote on the bill’s outcome.
Currently, bettors from the Cornhusker State have to place sports bets at retail casino locations or choose to wager online illegally. According to a GeoComply study of February’s Super Bowl game, demand for online sports betting in Nebraska is high, with 3.9 million attempts to access online sportsbooks inside Nebraska detected.
“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,” said the bill’s sponsor, Senator Eliot Bostar. “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 online mobile sports betting revenues to the property tax credit fund can provide much-needed relief.”
Bostar argues that Nebraska is missing out on at least $32 million in annual revenue.
However, opponents of the bill, including Bate Grasz of the Nebraska Family Alliance, argue that legalizing online sports betting in the state will lead to an increase in gambling addiction and monetary problems, affecting children and families.