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Two ballot petitions meant to bring legal online sports betting to Nebraska still aren’t cleared for signature gathering, nearly a month after the first paperwork hit the Secretary of State’s office. The filings were submitted January 9, 2026, but the petitions have not been finalized for circulation.
The delay is conspicuous because this is the route supporters are betting on after repeated trouble in the Legislature. The same filings also give the clearest look yet at what the organizers are trying to build: a statewide mobile market tied to racetrack casinos, with a hard cap on how many betting brands each casino operator can run and a tax pitch aimed directly at property tax relief.
From the records, two petitions, still not circulating
The filings show two separate petitions. One seeks a constitutional amendment, initially labeled “Allow Online Sports Wagering for Property Tax Relief.” The second seeks a statute change, labeled “Property Tax Credit Fund Increase from Online Sports Wagering.”
The sponsors listed are Kyle Adema, Jordan McGrain, and Tim Moran. WarHorse officials told Nebraska Public Media the sponsors are tied to the Sports Betting Alliance, a network of national sportsbook operators.
A spokesperson for the Nebraska Secretary of State said the office received a second draft on Wednesday afternoon, February 4, 2026, suggesting the language is still being refined before the state will authorize circulation.
As of this week, the Secretary of State’s public list of petitions currently in circulation for the 2026 election does not show an online sports betting measure.
A cap that could shape the market
The statute petition includes a key limit: an operator may run sports betting through no more than two online platforms. WarHorse CEO Lance Morgan said that structure would let WarHorse pair two mobile partners per facility. With WarHorse operating casinos in Lincoln and Omaha and planning a third at the Atokad racetrack in South Sioux City, he said it could support six digital sportsbook partnerships tied to WarHorse alone.
Morgan said WarHorse already has relationships with DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Circa Sports and bet365, and still has space for one more partner. The broader cap could still allow up to 12 mobile sportsbook brands statewide, depending on how many racetrack casinos qualify and how many skins each operator deploys.
Tax pitch: 20% rate and property tax relief
WarHorse government relations director Lynne McNally said the state would tax online sports betting at 20%. That matches the rate on in-person casino sports wagering. She said 70% of the tax revenue would go to the property tax relief fund.
She also described a local-money change. Under the petition, a share would go to the county where the bettor is located when placing a bet.
The ballot math and the clock
To reach the ballot, organizers need two sets of signatures. The constitutional petition needs about 125,000 valid signatures (10% of registered voters). The statute petition needs about 88,000 valid signatures (7%). Both also need signatures spread across the state. They must hit at least 5% of registered voters in at least 38 of Nebraska’s 93 counties.
If voters approve the measure, the draft language directs the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission to adopt online sports betting rules by June 1, 2027.
For now, the campaign stays paused. Morgan said the backers sent revised language back to the Secretary of State. “Little things matter,” he said, as the group works to finalize the text.
The urgency argument: border betting and blocked attempts
Supporters keep pointing to the same reality: people already place mobile bets, just not legally in Nebraska.
A Nebraska Legislature research report compiling testimony and data cited GeoComply telling lawmakers it blocked 4.5 million attempts from within Nebraska to access legal mobile sportsbooks in other states between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. The report also said GeoComply identified 118,000 unique mobile sports betting user accounts in Nebraska, a 45% year-over-year increase in that period.
In other words, the demand exists. The fight is about whether Nebraska captures it, and how tightly it controls it.
Source: Nevada Public Media
