Nearly 350,000 Signatures Collected in Favor of Nebraska Online Sports Betting

• Tax Relief Nebraska collected nearly 350,000 signatures for those in favor of legalizing Nebraska online sports betting
• A spokesperson for the committee previously said they are “confident” the group has done enough to gain access to the November general election ballot
• The signatures will now have to be verified and totaled

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Hundreds of thousands of signatures were collected in favor of legalized Nebraska online sports betting.

According to the public information officer of the Nebraska Secretary of State, Tax Relief Nebraska submitted nearly 350,000 signatures to potentially place two questions legalizing Nebraska online sports betting on the November general election ballot.

The signatures will now be totaled and verified to see if the necessary figures have been met.

Final Count is In

Rani Taborek-Potter, public information officer of the Nebraska Secretary of State, reported to Sports Betting Dime today that Tax Relief Nebraska submitted affidavits stating that 201,446 signatures supporting the online sports wagering authorization constitution amendment and 146,509 signatures supporting the online sports wagering regulation initiative were collected.

The final signatures were submitted on Friday, June 26, six days ahead of the Thursday, July 2, deadline. Tax Relief Nebraska began its signature collecting process in February. The group submitted petitions this past January for a constitutional amendment and a measure creating the regulatory framework for Nebraska online sports betting to appear on the November general election ballot. 

According to the Nebraska Secretary of State, for a constitutional amendment at least 10% of registered Nebraska voters must sign for it to be placed on a ballot. For a referendum question, at least 5% must sign.

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

As of July 1, according to the election division the state has 1,258,210 total registered voters. This means the group must have a total of 125,821 verified signature for the constitutional amendment and 62,910 signatures for the referendum question to appear on the ballot.

A spokesperson for Tax Relief Nebraska previously reported to Sports Betting Dime the group is confident it reached its signature requirements.

“Our totals exceeded what was required on both measures and we’re confident we’ve done enough to access the ballot,” Jordan McGrain, a petition sponsor for Tax Relief Nebraska, told Sports Betting Dime.

Nebraska Online Sports Betting Framework

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.

The referendum question will establish Nebraska’s online sports betting framework. It allows for licensed Nebraska gaming facilities to offer up to two online sports betting platforms each through either their own technology or a partnership with a gaming company, such as DraftKings or FanDuel. Sports betting rules and regulations will be required to be approved on or before June 1, 2027,

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.

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.