Nebraska sports betting operators could soon offer wagers on in-state college teams.
Sen. Tom Brandt introduced Legislative Bill 63 on Thursday, a bill that would amend Nebraska sports betting law to allow for betting on in-state college sports. The bill simply strips the prohibition from the law.
The Nebraska legislative session began Wednesday and runs through June 9. While Gov. Jim Pillen voiced support last year for a priority bill to take sports betting online, lawmakers have not yet filed such a bill.
Nebraska college sports betting
Lawmakers prohibited betting on in-state college teams when they legalized sports betting in 2021, following a voter mandate in 2020. The prohibition was included to ensure passage, which the bill did achieve with a 44-3 vote.
Some experts have estimated that in-state college bans can reduce sportsbook revenue by 15%. That figure could be higher in a state like Nebraska, which does not have a professional sports team but does have a rabid college fanbase.
At the moment, Nebraskans can only wager at in-person sportsbooks at the state’s casinos. In the latest fiscal year, which ended June 30, Nebraska collected $2 million in sports betting tax.
Nebraska online talk
Last year, legislators introduced a bill to take sports betting online. Heading into a special session during the summer, lawmakers considered online expansion to help reduce property taxes in the state.
While the idea died with the special session, Pillen voiced support for a priority online sports betting bill in the 2025 session. As of Friday, legislators had yet to introduce a bill.
The expansion, however, would require a public vote as well, which would happen in November 2026, at the earliest.
