An effort to legalize online sports betting in Nebraska began Thursday with the introduction of LB 13 during a special legislative session.
The bill, which was introduced by Sen. Eliot Bostar, would allow the state's existing retail sports betting locations to have one online skin. Sports betting revenue would still be taxed at 20%, although 90% of tax revenues would benefit property tax relief, which is the reason for the special session.
“The Legislature finds that Nebraska relies more heavily on local property taxes to support public education compared to other states and consistently ranks in the top ten among all states in terms of per capita property tax burden on its citizens,” the bill says. “The Legislature further finds that [it] is important to authorize and impose a tax upon the gross gaming of sports wagering by means of an online sports wagering platform in order to create a property tax relief program to reduce the tax liability of property taxes paid to support public education.”
Of note, Bostar's bill eliminates current language that bans wagering on in-state college programs, like Nebraska and Creighton. Allowing betting on Nebraska football and Creighton basketball would lead to increased interest among sports bettors in the state.