Online Sports Betting, Poker In NE Up For Debate In 2020

• NE LB 990 is the bill that would legalize online poker in Nebraska.
• Sports betting and daily fantasy sports will also be legalized with this bill.
• The legislative session in Nebraska lasts until April 23.

LINCOLN, Neb. – A new gambling expansion bill could bring online poker to Nebraska sometime in 2020.

What Does The Bill Say?

NE LB 990 is a gambling expansion bill for the state of Nebraska. The state bans many forms of gambling because they are a game of chance. What NE LB 990 does is reclassify these forms of gambling into games of skill.

If passed, this bill will reclassify daily fantasy sports (DFS), poker, and sports betting into games of skill rather than chance. Doing so will allow all three forms of gaming to be completely legalized in Nebraska.

In the United States, there are many states that are pursuing efforts that would legalize sports betting. It is becoming evident that more states down the road will legalize sports betting to help fund government projects. Thanks to this, online poker could become legal in Nebraska.

One thing to note is that online poker is not yet in the bill. The state of Nebraska is currently planning to sell gambling licenses for $10,000. Each license holder will receive a six percent revenue tax. The taxes collected would allow property tax in the state to be lowered.

But having online poker will be essential in these efforts. In New Jersey, most of the traffic for sports betting is coming in the form of online and mobile revenues. Without online sports betting, New Jersey would not be making nearly as much money on the venture.

Bringing both online poker and sports betting to Nebraska will be essential to the growth of the new gaming market. This is especially the case because the entire state has less than 10 casinos. Without online gambling markets, many people in the state will not have access to a new sportsbook or poker venue. DFS will be online by default.

But the bill was only recently filed. Lawmakers in Nebraska have indicated that they plan on adding online elements to NE LB 990. Once they do that, earnest efforts to expand gambling in Nebraska will begin. The legislative session in Nebraska lasts until April 23, so there is a good amount of time for lawmakers to debate the issue.