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Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Expanded sports gambling in Nebraska faces uphill legislative climb to 2026 ballot
LINCOLN — Legalizing online sports gambling in Nebraska appears to be a risky bet for some state lawmakers. A proposed constitutional amendment advanced Monday but faces an uphill legislative climb, the Nebraska Examiner reports. Legislative Resolution 20CA, from State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, would put the decision on whether to legalize online sports betting to voters at the November 2026 election. It advanced 27-16 in the first round of debate in the 49-member body. But as at least one opponent promised a full-fledged filibuster during the next debate stage, the measure would need 33 votes instead. Nebraska social media age-verification bill moves forward 'Let's not leave this money on the table,' Bostar said, adding that Nebraskans are already placing bets but revenue is going to neighboring states. State Sen. Dunixi Guereca, a freshman whose Omaha district is on the Iowa-Nebraska border, repeated Monday what he said in his 2024 campaign: from his front porch, he can see people going over a bridge to Iowa, pulling off into a gravel lot and placing bets. He said Nebraska's inaction is moving tax dollars to Iowa. 'I don't want you to like sports betting,' Bostar said, 'but I would hope that you would find an offense in us giving our money away to Iowa.' State Sen. Brad von Gillern of Elkhorn, left, listens to State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln. Aug. 8, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) Bostar said he knew his bill would face tight margins but that at least three of the six lawmakers who missed Monday's vote are in favor of his measure. It's getting the remaining three votes that could be tricky and could require flipping at least one current 'no' vote. Bostar pledged to work with his colleagues on any desired changes. Of the senators who haven't yet voted on Bostar's measure, State Sens. Beau Ballard of Lincoln and Tom Brandt of Plymouth and Jane Raybould of Lincoln said they support it. State Sens. Rita Sanders of Bellevue and Brian Hardin of Gering opposed an identical measure in August. State Sen. Glen Meyer of Pender, the sixth lawmaker, said he remains 'on the fence.' Nebraska butcher shop adds 3 new meat vending machines Constitutional amendments have narrower changes that can be made compared to legislative bills. If approved next year, lawmakers would need to carry out voters' wishes in 2027. Bostar has repeatedly defended the legislative push as a way to keep lawmakers in the 'driver's seat of what regulation looks like' and direct new revenue toward property tax relief. Bostar has estimated that the change would generate at least $32 million each year. State Sen. Brad von Gillern of the Elkhorn area, who chairs the Legislature's Revenue Committee, led opposition to Bostar's bill. He distributed handouts during the debate about the potential social harms of gambling, including depression, anxiety and bankruptcy. Von Gillern said gambling is predatory by nature, particularly for young men who might face an 'illusion of control' from the rapid gratification of 24/7 access to online sports betting. 'Please don't sell out our young people for property tax relief,' von Gillern told his colleagues. In a letter Thursday to state lawmakers, U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb.; former Gov. Kay Orr; former Huskers football coach and former U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne, R-Neb.; and State Auditor Mike Foley urged senators to reject Bostar's measure. The quartet, who have regularly opposed gambling, said lawmakers should 'protect our youth and families from the suffering that comes with the addiction that online gambling brings.' Osborne testified against the previous Bostar proposal last summer. Gov. Jim Pillen has voiced support for legalizing online sports betting, in contrast to his predecessors and his former NU coach and mentor. Pillen has made property tax relief a key goal of his administration. Multiple senators, for and against Bostar's measure, agreed that if lawmakers don't act, gambling advocates might push for getting a broader measure to voters next year anyway. State Sen. Stan Clouse of Kearney echoed Bostar that lawmakers needed to act now to determine what that should look like. He and Bostar said that when the Legislature fails to meet voters' demands — such as paid sick leave, minimum wage or medical cannabis — the people often go beyond original legislative attempts. Guereca said that if lawmakers waited, rather than the state collecting 20% of revenue for taxes, the potential revenue might drop, foregoing funds for tax relief or to help problem gamblers. State Sen. Jason Prokop of Lincoln, who selected Bostar's measure as his 2025 priority, said passing LR 20CA would allow lawmakers to set proper guardrails and consumer protection measures around online betting. Changes to school retirement plan advance to full Nebraska Legislature State Sen. Margo Juarez of Omaha, the only progressive to vote against Bostar's measure, said she has gambled at the WarHorse Casino and connected racetrack in her Omaha neighborhood. She said she read a lot of information during the debate and was struck about the scale of debt that could be built up in a matter of moments. 'I think that I would rather see people come to the casino, come to my neighborhood, have fun, and I guess make more of an effort than having it at your fingertips,' Juarez said. 'I could see how that could be so much more out of control.' State Sen. Tony Sorrentino of the Elkhorn area said taxation wouldn't help families, and State Sen. Jared Storm of David City called the measure 'taxation by exploitation,' most hurting young college students who might gamble away rent or tuition. 'As state senators, we have to stand up for those people,' Storm said. State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward, noting her son falls in that demographic, said she struggled with supporting LR 20CA while the Legislature is advancing online protections for youths on social media through LB 504 from State Sen. Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln or LB 383 from State Sen. Tanya Storer of Whitman to require age verification. Bosn supported Bostar's measure while Storer did not. Storer said the measure should include an explicit provision requiring age verification to ensure bettors are 21 or older. State Sens. Tom Brandt of Plymouth and Ben Hansen of Blair pushed back on opponents and said the Legislature shouldn't stand in the way. Brandt described it as becoming a 'nanny state.' Hansen pointed to other addictive behaviors — alcohol, smoking and refined sugar — and said if opponents were against addiction they had a line of other activities to go after. He said the line was between 'the side of liberty or tyranny' and that he would 'always err on the side of liberty.' State Sen. Christy Armendariz of Omaha, who voted against LR 20CA, said she's not against the issue going on the ballot, but she said supporters should go through the petition process. Juarez said that petition process could be good, such as through more in-depth, one-on-one conversations with voters. Even if LR 20CA passes, not all supporters said they would vote for it on the ballot, such as State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte. 'At the end of the day, if it goes on the ballot, I'm going to vote 'no,'' Jacobson said. 'But I think that people should have the opportunity to make that decision.' Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@ Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and X. This story was republished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Measure to let Nebraskans vote on legalizing online sports betting in 2026 advances from committee
State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln testifies before the General Affairs Committee on a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize online sports betting. July 31, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — The Nebraska Legislature is likely to debate whether to let voters weigh in on whether to legalize mobile sports betting next year after a legislative committee advanced the proposal. Legislative Resolution 20CA, from State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, seeks to allow authorized gaming operators at licensed racetracks in the state to offer online sports betting. Bettors would need to be in Nebraska at the time the wager is placed, and revenue would be directed toward property tax relief. Bostar has estimated $32 million in annual tax revenue. The General Affairs Committee voted 6-2 to advance Bostar's resolution, with many telling the Nebraska Examiner they did so to be 'proactive' and put lawmakers in the driver's seat. 'I think that I've seen too many times when we're not proactive, when we're not trying to set the regulations and do the things that we need to do up front, then we see things that we've got to deal with later that maybe some of them don't quite fit with good regulations,' said State Sen. Stan Clouse of Kearney, who voted to advance the bill. Opponents argued the Legislature shouldn't do the 'bidding' of gambling lobbyists and that LR 20CA and proposals like it are a 'direct threat' to Nebraska families. That includes Pat Loontjer, the executive director of Gambling with the Good Life, which has fought expanded gambling in the state for 30 years, including the trio of gambling-related ballot measures that voters passed in 2020. 'It's been five years, and I don't know how many of you have had your property taxes reduced, but no one that I've ever met,' Loontjer told reporters two weeks ago. 'It's a lie.' State Sen. Barry DeKay of Niobrara said he isn't a gambler and isn't a big fan of constitutional amendments, but he said if the Legislature wants guardrails, then the Legislature needs to be in charge so a ballot initiative doesn't go broader. Clouse, whose LB 421 would establish a regulatory infrastructure for online sports wagering, added: 'To do nothing is not the answer.' 'It's one of these things that society will dictate that if people want it, it'll happen, and we can't just keep kicking the can down the road,' Clouse said. Bostar said he is encouraged by the vote, which he described as a 'good sign' for its chances. He has repeatedly said the state is already paying the costs of expanded gambling on a societal level, such as with neighboring Iowa, without the funding to support state initiatives or fund programs to support individuals who are struggling with gambling addiction. 'If Nebraskans weren't already participating in mobile sports betting, especially to the extent that they are, I wouldn't have brought this,' Bostar said. 'But the realities are that the folks who want to do this are already doing it.' For example, some Nebraskans in Omaha, in particular during the College World Series, senators have said, cross a bridge to Iowa to place a bet before returning to watch the game. State Sens. Rick Holdcroft of Bellevue, the committee chair, and Jared Storm of David City were the two senators to vote against LR 20CA. Holdcroft said his view is that while voters approved expanded gambling and casinos in November 2020, the state really has only gotten two years' worth of revenue while calls seeking help for gambling problems have spiked. 'I would like to see us go through about six to 10 years in that stage to see what not only is the revenue that we get to the state but also what is the social impact,' Holdcroft said. State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha, committee vice chair, suggested in the Legislature's summer special session last year to allow but not require the Legislature to adopt online sports betting. Holdcroft was one of 13 lawmakers to urge no action on an identical Bostar resolution. Cavanaugh echoed DeKay that if the Legislature doesn't act there is clearly money and interest to get the measure on the ballot and that if lawmakers want something more 'constrained,' 'then you should take a hard look at us passing something on to the ballot.' Storm said that if supporters want the issue, then they should have to go out and get the signatures to put the choice on the ballot, not have the Legislature do it for them. State Sen. Bob Andersen of north-central Sarpy County said he views the role of government as providing safety and security for the general public, but 'the rest of it we should get out of the way.' He described the 'battle' on the issue as over whether lawmakers should legislate from a perspective of morality or safety and security. He said LR 20CA gives that choice to the people. 'I'm a guy that does not think that we can legislate morality,' Andersen said. Bostar's previous constitutional amendment ultimately failed after staunch opposition from the previous General Affairs Committee chair, former State Sen. John Lowe of Kearney, Clouse's predecessor, and the defeat of a separate proposal to change the timing for which ballot measures could be sent to voters if passed during a special session. Gov. Jim Pillen had gone as far as last summer to tell reporters he would put forth a priority bill on the topic this year. No such legislation was introduced on his behalf, though he had said the 'hardcore reality' is that Nebraskans were placing such bets. Pillen, a former defensive back for the Cornhuskers in the 1970s, was at odds with his former coach, Tom Osborne. If passed, Pillen had said he wouldn't object to the proposals. Osborne testified against Bostar's resolution in the summer but did not do so this time around. 'I'm an advocate,' he said at the time. 'I won't stand in the way. Anybody who takes that, I'll support it.' Freshman State Sen. Jason Prokop of Lincoln chose Bostar's resolution as his personal 2025 priority bill, increasing the chances it would be scheduled for debate. Prokop said he did so because the issue is relatively popular through polling and that voters deserved a chance to weigh in. 'My position on it is: Let the voters decide on what they want to do,' Prokop said. Holdcroft said with Prokop's priority he expects the resolution would be debated but that it will be up to all 49 lawmakers. 'It's going to have a battle,' Holdcroft said. 'I think a lot of people think the way I do about let's wait and see what's going to happen here.'At least 30 senators, regardless of any filibuster, would need to approve Bostar's resolution, under the Nebraska Constitution. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
