Two Nebraska sports betting petitions have cleared the required signature and county-distribution thresholds and are slated for the 3 November general election, the Secretary of State’s office confirmed Friday.
The office must certify the full ballot by 11 September. The constitutional petition received at least 138,473 valid signatures from 64 counties, while the statute secured 96,918 valid signatures from 55 counties.
The constitutional measure would amend Article III, Section 24, to allow the legislature to authorise and regulate internet sports wagering. The current language requires bettors to be physically located in Nebraska when placing a wager, while the companion statute sets out the operating framework.
Under the proposal, authorised gaming operators could offer online sports betting directly or through contracted platform providers. Servers would have to be located in Nebraska, while each operator would be limited to two platforms operated by providers.
Operators and platform providers would submit their operating controls to the State Racing and Gaming Commission for approval. The commission would have until 1 June 2027 to establish rules, while the statutory measure would take effect on 1 January 2027.
The proposal would also require winnings to be checked against the state debt-collection system before they are paid.
A constitutional amendment requires signatures equal to 10% of registered voters, as well as support from voters in 38 counties. An initiated statute requires signatures from 7% of registered voters statewide and the same county threshold.
Election officials stopped verification once each petition reached 110% of the applicable requirement, as permitted under state law.
Nebraska currently allows sports wagering only at approved betting windows and kiosks within licensed racetrack enclosures. Bettors must be at least 21, and mobile betting is not permitted.
All neighbouring states now offer sports wagering in some form. Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Wyoming allow statewide mobile betting, while South Dakota limits legal wagering to Deadwood casinos.
Previous efforts to introduce mobile sports betting in Nebraska through the legislature have failed. A 2024 special-session package, LR3CA and LB13, was indefinitely postponed. Last year, LR20CA advanced to Select File but stalled before it and, along with companion bill LB421, was indefinitely postponed in April.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/08/24/126046-nebraska-certifies-online-sports-betting-measures-for-november
