Nebraska Sports Betting Referendum ‘On Pace’ For Necessary Signatures

• Tax Relief Nebraska reports the committee is “on pace” to collect necessary signatures for referendum question
• The committee must collect signatures of 10% of the state’s registered voters across its 38 counties to place the referendum on the November ballot
• A commissioned report shows legalized Nebraska online sports betting may result in $61 million in property tax relief over five years

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Tax Relief Nebraska, a committee hoping to legalize online sports betting in the Cornhusker State, reported today it is “on pace” to collect the necessary amount of signatures to place a referendum question on the state’s November general election ballot.

Jordan McGrain, a petition sponsor for Tax Relief Nebraska, told Sports Betting Dime there is a “ton of enthusiasm” in the state for legalized online sports betting. The group began collecting voter signatures earlier this year after the Nebraska Secretary of State approved its petitions to legalize Nebraska online sports betting.

Tax Relief Nebraska currently has 130 circulators working in the state to collect the needed signatures for the referendum question.

Online Sports Betting for Nebraska Property Tax Relief

Tax Relief Nebraska began its signature collecting process in February. While no updates have been provided on the total number of collected signatures, McGrain told Sports Betting Dime the committee feels “very good about where we’re currently at.”

“Generally, the enthusiasm and support for this is widespread in the state as we’ve moved our collecting process from east to west,” he said.

According to the Nebraska Secretary of State, the organizers will have to collect verified signatures equaling 7% or more of registered voters in Nebraska. For a constitutional amendment, 10% of the registered voters must sign, and for a referendum at least 5% must sign.

In addition, signatures must be collected from 5% of the registered voters in 38 of the 93 Nebraska counties.

According to Nebraska voter registration statistics, as of April 2026 there are 1,255,154 registered voters in the state. If 10% of registered voters must sign for a constitutional amendment, this means proponents will have to collect more about 125,151 signatures to place a question on the ballot.

The deadline for collected signatures is July 2, 2026, according to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office.

The proposed constitutional amendment will earmark 70% of online sports betting tax revenues for a property tax credit fund in the state. The tax revenue disbursements are similar to Nebraska’s legal in-person sports betting market.

Tax Relief Nebraska commissioned a study from Eilers & Krejcik on the impact online sports betting may have on tax relief in the state. If legalized, Nebraska could see millions in additional revenue for property tax relief over the next five years.

Millions in Potential Tax Revenues

According to Eilers & Krejcik, Nebraska projects to generate $86.6 million in gross gaming revenue in its first year of legalized online sports betting, which would increase to about $163.1 million in gross gaming revenue by year five.

The company projected these revenue estimates by observing gross gaming revenue-per-adult data from comparable markets, such as Kansas, Iowa, Kentucky, and Wyoming. These were adjusted for Nebraska-specific factors such as disposable income, sports interest, internet access, and a prohibition on sports betting involving Nebraska college teams.

The independent research firm estimate Nebraska would see nearly $87 million in total online sports betting tax revenues through the first five year of operation. About $60.9 million would be used for Nebraska property tax relief with the required 70% property tax relief allocation.

About $21.7 million would be used for the local share, $2.2 million for a compulsive gambling fund, and $2.2 million for the state’s general fund.