Nebraska Online Sports Betting Ballot Push Advances
Tax Relief Nebraska says it is confident its online sports betting petitions will reach the Nov. 3 ballot, even after Nebraska election officials flagged potentially fraudulent signatures collected during the campaign’s signature drive.
The organization has collected nearly 350,000 signatures, which would give voters a chance to legalize Nebraska sports betting, with a regulation and tax framework in place.
Officials with the campaign to legalize online sports betting in Nebraska remain confident that voters will get the chance to weigh in on the matter during the November 2026 election.
In late June, Tax Relief Nebraska submitted more than 201,000 signatures for a petition to amend the state Constitution to legalize online sports betting, and roughly 146,000 signatures for another petition to change state statute to establish a tax framework for online sports betting revenue.
The Signature Fraud Investigation
Election officials flagged more than 13,000 petitions for potential fraud, prompting a Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office investigation.
Lancaster County Election Commissioner Todd Wiltgen suspects that several signature gatherers who canvassed for at least four petitions, including the online sports betting drive, committed fraud.
Wiltgen flagged more than 13,000 petitions as potentially fraudulent, with about 68% marked for a suspected fraudulent signature. More than 20% were flagged on the suspicion that the person is not a registered voter in Nebraska.
The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office has subsequently opened an investigation, with the probe centering on allegations of petitions containing fraudulent signatures. Law enforcement suspects that the individuals had the fraudulent signatures notarized and submitted the petitions for ballot counting.
Tax Relief Nebraska Responds
A spokesperson for Tax Relief Nebraska said the campaign remains confident that it will meet the petition threshold despite the concerns in Lancaster County.
We remain very confident that we submitted enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot, and if any circulator was found to have committed fraud, they should be identified and prosecuted, Tax Relief Nebraska sponsor Jordan McGrain said. Our goal is to collect signatures to get on the ballot, so fraud doesn’t help anybody.
Jordan McGrain, one of the petition sponsors, said Monday he is confident there will be more than enough valid signatures for both petitions to make the Nov. 3 ballot.
The petitions were filed in January and approved for circulation in February. Both petitions cleared their thresholds by a wide margin.
The constitutional amendment petition regarding the legality gathered more than 201,000 signatures, above the roughly 126,000 required. The regulatory and tax framework petition gathered 146,000 signatures, above the roughly 88,000 required. The signatures were turned in on July 2, ahead of the deadline.
Tax Relief Nebraska, the political group behind the online sports betting initiative, submitted more than 201,000 signatures to Nebraska Secretary of State Robert Evnen’s office—far above the 127,000 threshold needed to present voters with a ballot referendum to amend the state constitution.
Heavy Hitter Backing and Financials
Tax Relief Nebraska was primarily funded by DraftKings and FanDuel, with each sportsbook operator contributing over $3.5 million. BetMGM also gave $250,000 to the cause.
WarHorse Gaming, LLC, Nebraska’s largest casino operator with properties in Lincoln and Omaha, also backed the sports betting effort.
FanDuel and DraftKings have been instrumental in helping the cause, raising more than $1 million for the ballot campaign.
What the Measure Would Do
Sports betting is legal in Nebraska, but only at in-person racetrack casinos.
Putting online sports betting on the ballot would give Nebraska a chance to legalize it, and collect tax dollars for the state. It would allow racetracks to partner with up to two online operators.
If approved at the ballot, the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission would need to adjust the state’s gambling rules on or before June 1, 2027. The previous ballot push in 2025 did not come to fruition after a failed legislative attempt.
Nebraskans legalized in-person casinos, including slots, table games, and sports betting, at horse racetracks through a statewide ballot referendum in 2020. Initiative 430 secured 65% of the vote on the promise that casino gaming taxes would help reduce homeowner property taxes.
The promise has paid off, with Nebraskans receiving about $250 off their annual property tax assessment on a $200,000 home. Tax Relief Nebraska projects that online sports gambling will only increase tax breaks, with online sportsbooks delivering the state an additional $87 million within the first five years.
The Nebraska Regulate Online Sports Betting Initiative may appear on the ballot in Nebraska as an initiated state statute on November 3, 2026.
Opposition Voices
The Christian-based nonprofit Nebraska Family Alliance (NFA) says the tax breaks aren’t worth the risks of more gambling.
To tell voters this is about tax relief, when the proposal is actually a major expansion of online gambling financed by out-of-state gambling companies, is a complete sham and raises serious questions about election integrity, said NFA Executive Director Nate Grasz.
Leo Falsafi is a digital marketing veteran and senior journalist at Virlan.co, where he covers the intersection of digital marketing, gaming, and breaking US trending news. With nearly two decades of hands-on experience in SEO and digital strategy, Leo has consulted for and scaled hundreds of companies. His deep industry roots allow him to deliver sharp, fact-checked insights and analysis on the trends shaping today's digital landscape.