Nebraska is a state with interesting gambling history. When the state of Omaha, Nebraska was first formed in the 1800s it was a party palace filled with prostitution, gambling and drinking. The gambling scene was so popular there was even a poker variation born here known as Omaha Hold’em. The gambling industry in the state was run by mobsters and other underworld figures. There are even tales of the infamous racketeer Tom Dennison controlling things until the 1930s. Many believe that underground gambling was hosted and controlled by the Italian mob right through to the 1970s.

This dark yet gambling rich history seems odd and out of place when compared to the strict and sparse gambling opportunities Nebraska has to offer today. Today you will only find horse racing, simulcast betting, off-track betting, charitable bingo, lottery and pull-tabs in this state. There are also three tribal casinos but these only offer limited gambling options which do not include table games.

The horse racing industry was the first to be legalized back in 1934 allowing for pari-mutuel betting on the races. This was only allowed at the race tracks and while horse racing has been legal f

r the longest time, the industry is in a decline. Off-track betting was only added to the list of legal betting options in 1988.
In 1958 Charity bingo games were legalised allowing for charitable organisations to host bingo games and generate profit. Nearly a decade later, in 1967, raffles and lottery games were added to the list of charitable games. The list of games included the interestingly named game “Pickle Cards”.

In 1992 the Nevada State Lottery was launched. The lottery included interstate betting on Powerball and the Mega Millions as well as shared games like 2by2. The latter is a lottery game shared with Kansas and North Dakota.

Tribal casinos started opening their doors in the 2000s but it was in 2011 when Ohiya Casino’s opening made waves. This casino opened with class 2 games which included 400 slots. For Nebraska, it was a big deal as the other tribal casinos only offered 100 slots each.

Then in 2012, Senator Paul Schumacher attempted to legalise an amendment for casinos to be approved via voter approval. The amendment was killed off by the committee and did not even make it to the floor.

The first keno operations were launched in 1985 and since then has been one of the biggest gambling focuses of the state. It is considered a form of controversial gambling as many cities and counties refuse to permit it. In January 2016 a few keno players figured out the pattern of one random number generator at a restaurant in St. Mary and triggered $150,000 in wins. This has led many to question the fairness and true randomness of these keno games.

The laws and regulations around gambling in the state of Nebraska is incredibly strict. For any expansions to take place there would first need to be a constitutional amendment which includes a state-wide referendum. While most states are thriving and adding more legal forms of regulated gambling Nebraska’s attempts to expand their gambling scene keeps failing.

In Nebraska, the majority of crimes related to gambling is written off as misdemeanours for first offenders. The only exception to this is when it comes to gambling debt collection, in this case, it is considered a Class III felony.

Racetracks and racebooks are legally allowed to operate in the state of Nebraska. By law, only horses are allowed to compete on the tracks. As for racebooks, there are several requirements including that the venue offers one race day a year. All racetracks and off-track betting operations have to be licensed by the Nebraska State Racing Commission.

The Nebraska Department of Revenue is responsible for all licensing of Bingo, Lottery, Raffle and Pickle Card activities in the state. To get licensing an organization has to be a charitable organization and comply with all the necessary laws and legislation. This includes paying the required fee for any gross proceeds over $1,000.00. Any license renewal must take place thirty days before new events occur. All charitable gaming activities are regulated by the Charitable Gaming Division.

The Tribal Casinos in Nebraska are operated by the native tribes and free from state ruling in many ways. These casinos are not taxed by the state or required to report their earnings.

The Nebraska Lottery is run by the government of Nebraska since it was established. You have to be a minimum of 19 years of older to purchase lottery tickets in this state. The lottery is also part of the Multi-State Lottery Association and includes games like the Mega Millions, Powerball, 2by2, Pick 3 and MyDaY.

There have been a few attempts to legalise daily fantasy sports and casinos within Nebraska. These have been futile. At this time there seems to be no interest in more legal gambling options being added to the mix.