Petition drive will seek to legalize online sports betting in Nebraska
By Fred Knapp 
, Senior Reporter/Producer Nebraska Public Media
Sept. 18, 2025, 3 p.m. ·
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Supporters of legalizing online sports betting in Nebraska say they’ll launch a petition drive to put the issue on next year’s ballot.
Currently, people in Nebraska who want to bet on sports have to go to a casino, to another state, or bet illegally. Earlier this year, a proposal to legalize online sports betting advanced through one round of legislative debate before being stopped by a filibuster.
Lynne McNally of WarHorse Casinos, which operate in Omaha and Lincoln, says Nebraska is missing out.
“The bottom line is, you're allowing tax money to go to Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, just like with the casinos. People are using VPNs, and they're disguising their location, pretending they're in Iowa,” she said.
In legislative debate, supporters estimated Nebraska could get about $32 million a year in tax revenue from legalization. Opponents argued that online sports betting via cellphone is addictive, particularly for young men.
Supporters will need signatures from 10% of registered voters, or about 125,000 people, to put a proposed constitutional amendment on next year’s ballot. McNally said people should begin collecting signatures in the next month or so.