Casino owners in Nebraska have teamed up with sports betting companies to circulate petitions aimed at legalizing online gambling in the state, seeking to place the issue before voters through a ballot initiative.
Organizers are circulating two petitions – one proposing a constitutional amendment and another a statutory measure – as they attempt to gather enough signatures to qualify the proposal for the ballot.
Under Nebraska law, supporters must collect signatures from 5% of voters who participated in the last election, with the threshold required to be met across 38 counties.
“We need signatures from five percent of the people who voted in the last election – that number, so if 100 people voted, you need five – but you need it from 38 counties,” Lance Morgan, chief executive officer of Warhorse Casino, said.
The initiative aims to collect around 300,000 signatures, significantly above the minimum requirement.
Morgan said polling commissioned by supporters suggests strong public backing for legal online gambling in the state.
“I don’t think it will be any trouble getting it passed. Our polling shows it’s somewhere around a 70 percent approval rating,” he said. “And that’s before sports betting really took off here.”
The proposal could also provide a new revenue source for Nebraska, where lawmakers are working to balance the state budget and provide property tax relief.
“When I say it’s three million a month, I think that’s right, and it could be low, so it’s going to be a significant tax generator for the state,” Morgan said.
However, the proposal faces opposition from anti-gambling groups, which have raised concerns about addiction. Figures cited by them suggest that about 50% of online gambling revenue comes from addicted gamblers.
Morgan acknowledged the concerns raised by critics.
“I think that the anti-gambling group – they have a good point. You don’t want people to abuse it,” he said.
Supporters must submit the petitions in July. If the initiative is approved, Morgan said residents in Nebraska could potentially place sports bets on their phones by March Madness next year.
If the measure passes, Morgan does not think state lawmakers would delay action on the issue.
“We had a little bit of a delay on the gaming, on the casino, but we got it going,” Morgan said. “But I think it’s obviously open now, and I think the urgency to create the tax revenue will probably make some sense.”
“I think that the state itself understands that this is something the people want,” he added.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/03/16/118084-casino-owners-push-nebraska-online-gambling-ballot-drive
