Nebraska Could Put Online Sports Betting on the November 3, 2026 Ballot as Lawmakers Split Over the Framework

Nebraska is moving toward a fight over whether online sports betting should be legalized at all, with two ballot measures now in play ahead of the November 3, 2026 referendum. For PSPs and sportsbooks, the important part is not just the vote itself, but the shape of the market that could follow: up to 12 statewide mobile licenses, rules due by June 1, 2027, and a familiar lineup of US operators already backing the push.

1. One initiative, Save Nebraska Sports, is backed by State Auditor Mike Foley and Treasurer Joey Spellerberg and is aimed at blocking efforts to create an iGaming framework that would specifically allow online sports betting in the state.
2. Save Nebraska Sports is clashing with Tax Relief Nebraska, which wants to use sports betting tax revenue to help close budget gaps, support local communities, and provide what it describes as millions of dollars in property tax relief. Foley has dismissed that argument, saying companies such as FanDuel and DraftKings would take most of the money while the state gets “pennies.”
3. If Nebraskans approve the ballot measures, the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission would have until June 1, 2027, to draft the rules for a regulated sports betting framework that allows online wagers.
4. Major sportsbooks have already spent more than $7 million on signature-gathering efforts to get the measures onto the November 3, 2026 ballot, and that vote is now set to happen.
5. On paper, Nebraska would allow up to 12 statewide mobile sportsbooks, with two licenses attached to each of the state’s six gaming venues. There would be no requirement that all 12 licenses actually be launched.

As for who would show up first, DraftKings and FanDuel are already in the mix, having supported the signature drive alongside Fanatics and BetMGM. Other names mentioned as possible entrants include theScore Bet and Bet365.