The November ballot could include an item to legalize online sports betting in Nebraska as a means to help raise money for property tax relief.

Last week, Gov. Jim Pillen said he would have a priority bill legalizing online sports betting introduced during the regular legislative session next year.

“Online sports betting is real and it’s happening in the state,” he said. “Whoever wants to do it is doing it, and we’re giving all the revenue to our neighbors.”

According to GeoComply, 2 million illegal online sports bets were placed in Nebraska between January and June of this year.

Pillen’s call for a special session this week allows for, “taking steps necessary to ensure any such program which requires a constitutional amendment be printed on the November 2024 ballot.”

That could include legalizing – and taxing – online sports betting in the state.

Thursday morning, Sen. Eliot Bostar introduced a constitutional amendment during special session that would give Nebraska voters the opportunity to legalize the practice at the ballot box this November.

If passed, sports betting could be legalized and taxed two years earlier than if senators waited until next spring to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot.

Lynne McNally, who works on government policy for WarHorse Casino and the Nebraska Horsemen, said waiting until 2026 to legalize sports betting could cause the state to miss out on $100 million in revenue.

“We agree that property taxes in in the state of Nebraska are far too high, and anything that we can do to help be part of the solution, we’d be proud of doing that,” McNally said.

In 2020, Nebraska voters legalized sports betting and casino gambling, but only at the state’s horseracing tracks, with around 65% of the vote.