The committee backing Nebraska’s online sports betting ballot measures has raised nearly $21.7 million this election year, with major sportsbooks adding more than $7 million since late September as the Nov. 3 vote nears.
Tax Relief Nebraska is supporting Initiative 440, a constitutional amendment, and Initiative 441, a companion law that would set the rules. Both must pass for statewide mobile sports wagering to become legal.
FanDuel and DraftKings supplied most of the new money. FanDuel gave $2.5 million on October 22 and $750,000 on October 23. DraftKings gave $750,000 on October 22, after a $2.5 million contribution on October 13. Fanatics added $425,000 on October 2 and $100,000 on October 26.
Those payments bring FanDuel’s and DraftKings’ election-year totals to nearly $10.3 million each. Fanatics has contributed $600,000, and BetMGM previously gave $500,000. The committee’s regular report covering September 30 to October 19 listed just under $3 million in contributions.
The committee spent $6.61 million in the latest regular reporting period, bringing election-year spending to $15.8 million. Just over $5 million went to television marketing and other promotions. It reported $1.74 million in cash on hand as of October 19, before the late contributions.
Campaign finance reports are filed with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, which administers the state’s disclosure rules for ballot question committees.
A national group previously asked the commission to investigate the combined FanDuel and Roar Digital donations to the campaign, citing the companies’ ownership by firms based in Ireland and the United Kingdom, according to a ballot measure voter guide. The outcome of that request was not reported in the coverage reviewed.
The measures would allow up to 12 mobile sportsbooks, or two platform partners for each of the state’s six current or planned regulated gaming facilities. Bettors would have to be physically in Nebraska, and the platforms’ servers would also have to be in the state.
Online wagering would be taxed at 20% of gross gaming revenue, the same rate as casino gaming, with 70% of the proceeds directed to property tax relief. The proposal keeps the ban on betting on Nebraska college teams when they play in the state. The statutory framework would take effect January 1, 2027, and regulators would have to adopt online wagering rules by June 1, 2027. The measures do not guarantee a launch date.
Nebraska already allows in-person sports betting at licensed gaming facilities. Voters approved casino gaming at licensed racetracks in 2020 by a 65% to 35% margin.
The official ballot measures pamphlet, which includes the ballot titles, full text and arguments, carries the proponents’ case. They say legal wagering would keep money in the state and deliver more than $166 million in property tax relief over ten years. That projection comes from the campaign, not an independent estimate.
Opponents argue the measures would increase gambling-related harm, bring aggressive advertising and send money to out-of-state companies without meaningful tax relief. The Nebraska Family Alliance is among the groups opposing them, and a letter from Husker athletes and coaches led by Tom Osborne also opposes the measures.
Voters will decide both measures on November 3. Abstracts of votes are due to the Secretary of State’s office on November 23.
