Nebraska Sports Betting Campaign Expects Referendum Despite Fraud Claims

Officials with the campaign to legalize online sports betting in Nebraska remain confident that voters will get the chance to weigh in on the matter during the November 2026 election.

Tax Relief Nebraska, the political group behind the online sports betting initiative, submitted more than 201,000 signatures to Nebraska Secretary of State Robert Evnen’s office—far above the 127,000 threshold needed to present voters with a ballot referendum to amend the state constitution.

However, Lancaster County Election Commissioner Todd Wiltgen suspects that several signature gatherers who canvassed for at least four petitions, including the online sports betting drive, committed fraud.

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office has subsequently opened an investigation, with the probe centering on allegations of petitions containing fraudulent signatures. Law enforcement suspects that the individuals had the fraudulent signatures notarized and submitted the petitions for ballot counting.

“Our investigators will follow the evidence and report those findings to the prosecuting agency for review. We will continue to safeguard the integrity of this criminal investigation from attempts by any party, group, or affiliation to use them for political purposes,” said Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner.

Six individuals have been arrested, Lancaster County Chief Deputy Houchin said today (Aug. 19).

Sports Campaign Confident

Wiltgen flagged more than 13,000 petitions as potentially fraudulent, with about 68% marked for a suspected fraudulent signature. More than 20% were flagged on the suspicion that the person is not a registered voter in Nebraska.

A spokesperson for Tax Relief Nebraska said the campaign remains confident that it will meet the petition threshold despite the concerns in Lancaster County.

Tax Relief Nebraska was primarily funded by DraftKings and FanDuel, with each sportsbook operator contributing over $3.5 million. BetMGM also gave $250,000 to the cause.

WarHorse Gaming, LLC, Nebraska’s largest casino operator with properties in Lincoln and Omaha, also backed the sports betting effort.

Property Tax Claims

Nebraskans legalized in-person casinos, including slots, table games, and sports betting, at horse racetracks through a statewide ballot referendum in 2020. Initiative 430 secured 65% of the vote on the promise that casino gaming taxes would help reduce homeowner property taxes.

The promise has paid off, with Nebraskans receiving about $250 off their annual property tax assessment on a $200,000 home. Tax Relief Nebraska projects that online sports gambling will only increase tax breaks, with online sportsbooks delivering the state an additional $87 million within the first five years.

The Christian-based nonprofit Nebraska Family Alliance (NFA) says the tax breaks aren’t worth the risks of more gambling.

“To tell voters this is about tax relief, when the proposal is actually a major expansion of online gambling financed by out-of-state gambling companies, is a complete sham and raises serious questions about election integrity,” said NFA Executive Director Nate Grasz.