Sports betting as Nebraskans know it today could look at least a little bit different if one or more bills introduced during a special session of the state legislature gain traction.
Covers already reported on legislation put forward last week that could authorize online sportsbooks in the Cornhusker State.
However, another bill was introduced last week in Nebraska's unicameral legislature that could make some changes of its own if passed by lawmakers.
Sen. Tom Brandt officially submitted Legislative Bill 32 on Friday, the second day of a special session called by Gov. Jim Pillen to try and lower state property taxes.
L.B. 32 makes no mention of online play, but it would tweak the definition of an authorized sporting event for wagering to remove the state's ban on betting Nebraska colleges when they play games in the state.
A time for tweaking?
Moreover, L.B. 32 would scrap Nebraska's prohibition on betting college player props for games involving the state's schools. Also gone would be the restriction on in-game wagering on Nebraska colleges.
In short, the in-person sports betting already legal in Nebraska would be expanded to include Cornhusker home games, player props, and in-game markets. But, again, the expansion would only be for the bets being placed at the state’s racinos.
The online sports betting bill introduced last week, L.B. 13, would expand legal sports betting in Nebraska to include mobile play. It would also remove the ban on betting Cornhusker home games but would leave the restrictions on college player props and in-game wagering untouched.
Looks like we are getting a committee hearing on Wednesday for an online sports betting bill introduced in the Nebraska legislature during its recently begun special session: pic.twitter.com/PzHSZYZBqW
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) July 29, 2024
L.B. 13 and a proposed constitutional amendment providing for online sports betting are set for a committee hearing on Wednesday. So is L.B. 32, according to the Nebraska legislature's website.
There is interest, then, among Nebraska lawmakers in shaking up the state’s sports betting status quo. Whether it happens is still to be determined, but some senators are using the opening provided by the special session to try to make some sports betting-related changes.
Nebraska legalized sports betting in 2021, although legal wagering only began last June, when the first brick-and-mortar casino began accepting bets.
The opening of a sportsbook at the WarHorse Lincoln has been followed by a few others, but online wagering is still not legalized.
