Legal Sports Betting Kicks Off in Nebraska, But What’s Next?

You can add another state to the growing list of jurisdictions offering legal sports betting in the United States. On Thursday, June 22, the first legal sports bets were placed in the Cornhusker State. Despite initial concerns regarding the sports betting infrastructure in Nebraska, residents can now place a legal sports wager.

It has been a long and sometimes painful process for sports bettors in Nebraska. As Nebraskans watched as other states legalized and quickly accepted bets, it hasn’t been a similar seamless undertaking, however.

On May 25, 2021, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts signed the Nebraska legal sports betting bill¹. At the time, sports bettors in Nebraska were optimistic that they would be betting on sports shortly. Over two years later, there is finally an option to make legal sports bets in Nebraska.

Details of LB561 Nebraska Legal Sports Betting Bill

For many sports bettors in Nebraska, LB561 wasn’t exactly what they envisioned for their state. Instead of legalizing online sports betting in Nebraska, the bill only acknowledged retail sports betting. In other words, sports wagers must be placed at an authorized land-based sportsbook.

Under Nebraska’s legal sports betting bill, LB561, licensed horse racing tracks can accept sports bets from the public. The bill allows sports betting at licensed race tracks, but not on Nebraska college team’s home games².

Additionally, mobile and online sports betting was not covered in the bill. Bettors that were hoping to bet from home didn’t receive great news. As a result of mobile sports betting being forbidden in Nebraska, the state was unable to accept bets right away upon legalization in 2021.

The race tracks did not have the facilities or infrastructure in place to accept sports bets until recently. For a simple analogy to sum up LB561: Nebraska lawmakers put the carriage before the horse.

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WarHorse Casino Lincoln Now Accepting Bets

Currently, there is one racetrack casino with sports betting infrastructure implemented to offer on-site wagering in Nebraska. WarHorse Casino Lincoln is the first Nebraska casino to have sports betting in the state.

According to WarHorse Casino, sports wagers can be made 24/7 through kiosks located on the property. Tellers at the sportsbook window are also available during certain hours. Lastly, there is a WarHorse Casino sports betting app that customers can download to go through the odds and save their betting tickets³.

You've waited long enough!

Sports betting comes to Nebraska today at 3:00 at WarHorse Lincoln pic.twitter.com/omk4CgGX7G

— WarHorse Lincoln (@WarHorseLincoln) June 22, 2023

However, wagers must be placed in-person while on property at WarHorse Casino Lincoln. When and if mobile sports betting is legal in Nebraska, WarHorse Casino will have an app ready to go.

“Nebraskans have been asking for the opportunity to wager on sports since the ballot initiatives were passed in 2020,” shared Lance Morgan, CEO of the parent company of WarHorse Gaming, Ho-Chunk, Inc. “We’re thrilled to be the first casino in the state to offer sports betting.⁴”

WarHorse Casino partnered with B2B sports betting services provider, Kambi, to provide the technology for the sportsbook. Kambi is expected to be used at other WarHorse Casino locations in the future.

What Is Next For Sports Betting In Nebraska?

One casino to bet on sports for roughly two million Nebraskans isn’t going to work for everyone in the state⁵. Driving hours to bet on sports isn’t going to work for many people.

It is much more convenient to put together a sports betting strategy and bet in the comfort of your own home. However, there was no wording in LB561 to address mobile and online sports betting.

In addition to no online sports betting, online casinos in Nebraska are forbidden in the state. If you are one of the many people that are interested in online betting sites, then Nebraskans will have to wait for a new sports betting bill to be launched.

There is no indication that an online sports betting bill is ready to be presented to the Nebraska Legislature in 2023 or 2024. Consequently, we do not foresee online betting coming to Nebraska in the near future.

However, as gambling continues to expand in the country, there should be an online sports betting bill introduced in Nebraska within the next five years. For now, expect to see more brick-and-mortar sportsbooks opening at race tracks throughout the state.

Besides WarHorse Casino Lincoln, there are five other race tracks located in Nebraska. All of these properties can legally open an on-site sportsbook. However, they will have to be approved by the first state and have sports betting infrastructure.

• Fairplay Park (Hastings, NE)
• Fonner Park (Grand Island, NE)
• Horsemen’s Park (Omaha, NE)
• Atokad Downs (South Sioux City, NE)
• Agricultural Park (Columbus, NE)

Race tracks throughout Nebraska are currently in the process of expanding their casino footprint. Harrah’s Columbus Casino opened its doors at Agricultural Park last month. On June 12, the temporary casino had its grand opening in Columbus.

Nebraska Casino Expansion Projects Will Continue

According to the Omaha World-Herald, the property is only a temporary site until the permanent Caesars Entertainment casino is finished in 2024. Currently, the temporary casino does not include sports betting.

Although, when the project is finished in 2024, the casino will include more than 500 slot machines, 14 table games, and a sportsbook⁶. In Grand Island, recently employees at the Grand Island Casino Resort at Fonner Park have been busy expanding their casino.

Feeling lucky ?🍀 🎰 Take a look at the Grand Island temporary casino! Today is its grand opening. We’ll have all the details today @NTVNEWS pic.twitter.com/0YJydqchAM

— Risell Ventura (@risell_v) December 27, 2022

In May, Grand Island Casino Resort started work on its expansion plans with more slot machines and table games after opening in December 2022⁷. There has been no word on sports betting, but it should be the next step for Grand Island Casino Resort.

At Horsemen’s Park in Omaha, WarHorse Gaming broke ground last summer on a new casino. WarHorse Gaming intends to open the casino in the summer of 2024. The facility is expected to be a full-service property, with table games, slot machines, restaurants, and yes, sports betting.

CEO of Nebraska Horsemen, Lynne McNally, said that:

“We’re revitalizing an entire industry for the state of Nebraska and helping launch a new one at the same time.⁸”

Omaha is the most populated city in Nebraska. With nearly 500,000 residents, a sportsbook in Omaha will be convenient for a sizable number of residents in Nebraska. The WarHorse Casino Lincoln sportsbook services up to roughly 300,000 residents in the city⁹.

The two largest cities in Nebraska will both have sports betting in their backyard soon. However, online sports bettors will have to patiently wait for an online betting bill to be introduced in the Nebraska Legislature.

LB168 Would Allow Wagering On Nebraska College Home Games

At this moment, bets cannot be made on Nebraska college teams when they are playing at home. LB561 stipulates that bettors can only wager on Nebraska teams on the road. In other words, you can’t bet on the Cornhuskers basketball or football team when they are at home in Lincoln.

However, if LB168 passes in the Legislature, the ban would be lifted in Nebraska. On January 9, 2023, LB168 was introduced in the Nebraska Legislature. Taxes collected from instate collegiate sporting events would also be impacted by the bill, with a portion of revenue going to need-based college scholarships¹⁰.

On February 13, 2023, state senators listened to a notice of hearing regarding LB168. Supporters noted that it doesn’t much much sense to exclude betting on Nebraska home games.

“It’s not about expanding gambling. Nebraska teams playing in Nebraska are already subject to sports betting. Just not in Nebraska”, said State Senator of Lincoln, Eliot Bostar¹¹.

The situation remains fluid with no activity in the Nebraska Legislature since February.

Can You Bet On Sports Online In Nebraska?

In short, yes, you can bet on sports online in Nebraska, including when the Cornhuskers are playing in Nebraska. While there aren’t any sportsbooks regulated by the State of Nebraska, you can find alternative online betting sites to bet at in the Cornhusker State.

Our top recommendation for betting on sports online in Nebraska is BetUS. We typically find ourselves betting at BetUS for the sheer volume of wagers available in their sportsbook. No matter the type of bet or sport, BetUS is likely going to have what you are looking for online.

BetUS accepts a wide array of deposit and withdrawal options. Including common cashier methods, such as credit cards and a bank wire, BetUS accepts cryptocurrencies for deposits and withdrawals.

Additionally, BetUS ranks as one of the safest online betting sites for gamblers. You will never have to stress over whether your money is safe. Accommodations for withdrawals will be processed following a simple process to verify your account.

For a limited time, BetUS is offering residents of Nebraska an attractive sign-up bonus to bet on sports and play online casino games. Get a 100% sign-up bonus worth up to $2,500 to wager on sports. Alternatively, you can get up to an additional free $625 for the online BetUS casino.