Gambling companies funnel money into ballot measures to legalize online sports betting – and to individual candidates

As popular online gambling platforms funnel millions into the campaign to legalize online sports betting in Nebraska, some companies are also making significant contributions to individual campaigns.

Tax Relief Nebraska, a ballot question committee, began circulating two petitions in February to legalize and regulate online sports betting. The group would need to collect signatures from 10% of the state’s registered voters on the petition to legalize and 7% of registered voters on the petition to regulate for the measures to be placed on the 2026 ballot.

The committee raised more than $2.6 million in February and March alone, according to campaign finance records – largely from two $1.1 million contributions from Fanduel and Draft Kings. The remaining funds came from FBG Enterprises, a subsidiary of Fanatics Sportsbook, and Roar Digital, an online sports betting joint venture between MGM and Entain.

Elected officials from Gov. Jim Pillen to legislative candidates also received sizable contributions from online sports betting platforms this election cycle.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers received the most money from gambling companies between 2025 and early April of 2026, totaling $75,000 from online gambling platforms like FanDuel and MGM, industry groups like the Coalition for Fantasy Sports and local casinos like WarHorse Gaming.

In an email, Hilgers said he continues to oppose expanding gambling in Nebraska.

Last year, Pillen received a $20,000 contribution from WarHorse Gaming and a $15,000 contribution from Caesar’s Entertainment. This year, he received a $25,000 contribution from the Grand Island Casino Resort PAC and $10,000 from Husker Gaming LLC, a subsidiary of “skill game” operator Accel Entertainment.

According to reporting from the Nebraska Examiner, Pillen has expressed personal opposition to gambling but supports legalizing online sports betting for the tax revenue.

WarHorse Gaming, which operates casinos in Lincoln and Omaha, primarily contributes smaller amounts to candidates in city council and legislative races. Aside from the $20,000 donation to Pillen, most of the company’s 2025 contributions were between $500 and $2,500 to down-ballot candidates across the political spectrum.

“We’re no different than the Nebraska Cattlemen or the [Nebraska State Education Association] or any of those other groups that are concerned about how legislation might affect them, so we give contributions to candidates that we think understand our issue,” said Lynne McNally, director of government relations at WarHorse.

After Nebraska voters approved the legalization of gambling in 2020, sports betting became legal – but only at licensed, in-person casino sportsbooks. Attempts to legalize online sports betting in the Legislature fell short in 2024 and 2025.

According to the American Gaming Association, 32 states allow online sports betting, including all of Nebraska’s neighbors aside from South Dakota. During the NFL regular season from 2024-2025, geofencing company GeoComply identified more than 2,800 individuals who crossed the border from Nebraska to Iowa to legally place online sports bets. It also identified 75,000 people who were blocked from making bets after attempting to do so from Nebraska.

It is relatively easy to access online sports betting from Nebraska by using a virtual private network, or VPN, which obfuscates a device’s location. Nebraskans can also place online bets on so-called prediction markets, like Kalshi. These platforms allow bets on political and current events – as well as sports. FanDuel and Draft Kings have launched their own sports-focused prediction markets to skirt state restrictions on online sports betting.

Reporter Aaron Bonderson contributed to this report.