The Nebraska legislature will not advance a mobile sportsbook legalization referendum for the 2026 ballot, a major blow to bringing regulated online sports betting platforms to the state.
State Sen. Eliot Bostar pulled the proposal Wednesday after it was clear on the unicameral legislature’s floor there were not enough votes to pass the measure. Nebraska law requires 30 of the 49 members to vote “yes” to place a measure before voters on the ballot. Opponents employed a filibuster Wednesday, which increased that threshold to 33 votes to overturn it and allow for the vote.
The measure had advanced 27-16 (with six senators absent or not voting) earlier this month.
Key Takeaways
- Opponents raised concerns about gambling addiction and social harms, while supporters argued that legalization would provide consumer protections and generate tax revenue in a state surrounded by legal markets.
- Sportsbooks may now pursue a citizen-led ballot initiative, requiring signatures from 10% of registered voters, potentially putting the issue before voters in November 2026 with a launch possible by 2027.
Roughly half of the 49 senators in the unicameral legislature testified during more than four hours of debate Wednesday. Most spoke out against the measure.
Opponents said legal mobile sports betting in Nebraska would increase gambling addiction and other societal ills including suicides, bankruptcies, drug abuse, and depression. Critics of the bill also cited testimony from former University of Nebraska head football coach and member of Congress Tom Osborne, who has been an outspoken opponent of legal sports betting.
Proponents argued sports betting was already prevalent in the state through offshore books and has been legalized in all six bordering states. Backers said a regulated market could offer consumer protections for Nebraska bettors and generate new tax revenues.
Roughly a dozen Nebraska state Senators have testified today against a mobile sports betting ballot measure bill. Sen. Robert Dover said on the floor it will increase suicides in the state; the other 30 states with legal mobile betting have not shown sportsbooks increase suicides
— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) April 23, 2025
If it had passed, the sports betting measure was set to go before voters on the November 2026 ballot. If approved by a majority of voters, Nebraska’s first legal mobile sportsbooks would have been able to accept bets in 2027.
Lawmakers opposing and supporting the measure said that the sportsbooks will likely push for a ballot measure outside the legislature. Nebraska’s constitution allows a citizen-led referendum to appear on the ballot if it receives verified signatures from 10% of Nebraska's roughly 1.25 million registered voters.
Nebraska voters approved the state’s first casinos in 2020. Several have in-person sportsbooks, making Nebraska one of eight states with legal on-property betting but no regulated statewide mobile wagering options.
Nebraska sports betting ballot measure details
If passed, Nebraska’s casinos would have been able to partner with third-party mobile sportsbook operators. It’s unclear how many books would seek to enter the state; neighboring Kansas currently has six sportsbooks while other bordering states Iowa and Colorado permit more than a dozen.
Caesars, which has a retail sportsbook in the state and testified in support of the bill, would be a top candidate to pursue a mobile sports betting license. DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Fanatics also backed the legislation and would likely seek licensure.
If any of these books look to financially back a citizen-led ballot measure this year, the question could go to voters on the November 2026 ballot. If approved for the ballot and supported by voters, the first bets would likely be placed before the fall 2027 football season, assuming the roughly six-to-nine-month timeline for mobile sports betting launches in other states.
Nebraska is the only state that allows bets on in-state programs when they play outside the state but prohibits them for games within its borders. The referendum legislation language pulled Wednesday made no mention of college betting.
The Cornhuskers football team is far and away the most popular team in the state. Nebraska has no professional sports teams in any major league.
FanDuel and DraftKings combined to spend $30 million in advertising and other support for the 2024 Missouri sports betting ballot measure. It’s unclear what investments sportsbooks would make to gather signatures to place a measure on the ballot, then drive up voter support in a state without any pro teams and a smaller population.
Sports betting referendums have been approved in Maryland and Arkansas as well as Nebraska neighbors Colorado, South Dakota, and Missouri. California is the only state where voters rejected a sports betting ballot measure.
Thirty-one states have approved statewide mobile sports betting. Eight states, including Nebraska, only permit sports betting in certain facilities.
