Nearly two years after legal sports betting became a reality in Nebraska, retail operations in the Cornhusker State could begin next month.
According to a report from KETV in Omaha, the first legal sports wagers in the state should be accepted in late May at Warhorse Casino in Lincoln.
Lynne McNally, the vice president of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, said sports betting is expected to be offered at Warhorse in time for the NBA Finals and the College World Series held less than an hour away from Lincoln in Omaha every June.
Another Warhorse casino in Omaha is still being developed and is behind schedule, but there are plans to operate a sportsbook during construction at some point. However, no specific timetable has been given.
McNally also reminded Nebraska sports bettors that home games involving in-state college teams like the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Creighton Bluejays will not be offered as betting options.
Retail betting at racinos
For now, no online sports betting sites are available as only retail sportsbooks are authorized to operate in the Cornhusker State through the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission.
There has not been much of an infrastructure in place in the last two years, so sports betting is still trying to get off the ground in Nebraska.
Casinos currently located on tribal lands in Nebraska are not operating sportsbooks. The two Warhorse Casinos and a Harrah’s project being developed west of Omaha in Columbus are considered “racinos” because they have to operate at horse racing tracks. Harrah’s Nebraska also plans to offer a sportsbook.
Other race tracks in South Sioux City, Hastings, and Grand Island have been licensed as well for casinos.
Nebraska law requires casinos to pay a 20% tax from gross gaming revenue to the state. Most of that goes toward the state’s Property Tax Credit Fund, and a reported $8 million in revenue has been generated from legalized gambling thus far.
Keeping things in state
Nebraska residents overwhelmingly voted in 2020 to allow sports betting in the state, but Cornhusker legislators didn’t get a bill passed and signed into law until May 2021.
Since then, Nebraskans have had to patiently wait to wager on games within their state, while many residents have gone outside their borders to place sports bets.
Omaha, the largest city in Nebraska, is on one side of the Missouri River. Iowa, where sports betting has been legal since 2019, is any drive to the other side. The Hawkeye State offers mobile sports betting through FanDuel, DraftKings, and Caesars, among others, as well as 17 retail sportsbook locations.
Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, and Kansas, the other states that border Nebraska, all offer legal sports betting as well, so keeping it in the Cornhusker State is a priority for the residents and legislators.
