Nebraska voters block measures to legalize online sports betting, rejecting a campaign’s promise of $166 million in property tax relief

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Nebraska voters rejected two ballot measures that would have legalized online sports betting across the state, dealing a setback to gambling companies that spent $22.5 million campaigning for the expansion and promising voters a new source of property tax relief. According to the Nebraska Secretary of State, voters rejected Measure 440, which would legalize online sports betting, by approximately 55% to 45%, while Measure 441, which would regulate the business if passed, lost by approximately 54% to 46%. Both measures needed to pass for mobile sports betting to become legal in Nebraska. The defeat came as scrutiny grew across the sports betting industry, which has expanded rapidly across the U.S. since the Supreme Court opened the door to state-level legalization in 2018. The initiatives The two initiatives were designed to work together, but they addressed different parts of the legalization process. Initiative 440 was a proposed constitutional amendment. It would have amended the…

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