What Iowa Sports Betting Means For Nebraska

• Iowa sportsbooks officially began taking in bets on August 15, 2019.
• Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts is a strong opponent of any gambling expansion in his state.
• The Horsemen’s Benevolent Protection Association has begun a petition in order to put gambling expansion at the state’s horse racing tracks on the 2020 November Ballot.

OMAHA, Neb. – On Thursday, Iowa sportsbooks opened up shop for the first time ever. The opening not only drew in sports fans from the Hawkeye State but also many eager Cornhusker fans from across the Missouri River.

The impact was felt almost immediately as the Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs, one of six sportsbooks in Iowa to launch earlier this week, is located only a few minutes from Omaha, Nebraska.

“(Nebraska was) 12-to-1 to win the Big 10 and 66-to-1 to win the national championship,” said Paul Czak, General Manager of Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs to the Omaha World-Herald during the grand opening. “So I guess there will be a lot of futures bets being placed tonight and this weekend.”

There is a total of 19 state-regulated casinos in Iowa and almost all of them are expected to offer legal sports betting in the near future. Harrah’s Council Bluffs Hotel and Casino and Horseshoe Council Bluffs both have a grand opening for their retail sportsbooks scheduled for August 23 at 4 p.m.

Both of those properties also plan to have a sports wagering app available by mid-September. Sports gambling laws in Iowa require that any users of a mobile sports betting app in the state must first register in person at a licensed casino.

Sports betting apps in Iowa are also geo-fenced, meaning that you have to be physically located in the state to be able to use it. However, this is quite an easy rule for people in the Omaha area to adhere to. Sports bettors in Omaha, Nebraska will only have to take a short drive to cross state lines.

“Ten minutes way you play blackjack and craps and now sports betting. It just puts us at another disadvantage,” said Mike Newlin, general manager of Horseman’s Park.

There are a total of 17 states that have legalized sports betting since the repeal of the federal ban on the practice in May of 2018. Many more states have at least introduced some piece of legislation in order to regulate the fast-growing industry. However, Nebraska is not one of those states.

“I think that it would be more than $120 million per year in revenue to the state, we could be utilizing that money for property tax relief,” said Newlin.

While that may sound like an enticing figure to many state legislators, it is of no interest to long-time opponent of expanded gambling, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts.

“For every dollar you collect in tax revenue you spend three dollars in the social service that accompany the costs that go along with that gambling,” said Ricketts.

Still, proponents of legal sports gambling have argued that many Americans currently bet on sports through offshore sportsbooks or with local bookies.

The American Gaming Association (AGA) has estimated in the past that legal sports betting in America could become upwards of a $41.2 billion industry. In a more recent survey, they also found that 8 in 10 registered voters support legalizing sports betting in their state.

In order to for the activity to come to Nebraska, it will require voters to amend the state constitution. The Horseman’s Benevolent Protection Association and other groups in the Cornhusker State are backing a petition that would put the issue on the 2020 November ballot.

Whether or not it will actually be put on the ballot remains to be seen. But, with Iowa sportsbooks now collecting tax dollars from Nebraska residents, it may add some pressure for state legislators to take the petition seriously.

News tags: American Gaming Association | Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs | Harrah’s Council Bluffs Hotel and Casino | Horseshoe Council Bluffs | Iowa | Mike Newlin | Nebraska | Omaha | Paul Czak | Pete Ricketts