Nebraska ballot measure · November 3, 2026

Nebraska Initiative Measure 441, explained

Rules and taxes for online sports wagering. A ballot measure is a yes-or-no question put directly to voters — no candidate is involved, and the wording on the ballot is the wording that becomes law. This page shows that wording first, then what it actually changes.

The official wordingWhat appears on the ballot. Everything below explains it.

The Attorney General's certified ballot title had not been published at the time of writing. The object statement circulated on the petition reads: "The object of this petition is to enact a statute allowing sports wagers to be placed within the State of Nebraska through Internet-based platforms offered by an authorized gaming operator, or its contracted platform provider, and regulate such sports wagers."

What it actually means

This is the working half of the online sports betting pair. Where Measure 440 changes the constitution to permit online wagering, Measure 441 writes the statute: it lets authorised gaming operators — the five racetrack casinos — or platform providers they contract with take bets over the internet, and puts the Nebraska Gaming Commission in charge of the rules. The campaign's petition directs 70% of the tax on those wagers to property tax relief, the same share casino taxes already go to.

If you vote YES

Sports wagers could be placed through internet platforms offered by an authorised gaming operator or a platform provider under contract to one.
The state Racing and Gaming Commission would adopt rules and regulations governing online operators, platforms and wagers, and the requirements that apply to operators would extend to platform providers.
Betting apps such as DraftKings and FanDuel would have to partner with one of Nebraska's five racetrack casinos to operate.
Tax revenue from online wagers would be distributed with 70% going to property tax relief, matching the existing split for casino gaming taxes.
None of it takes effect unless Measure 440 also passes, because the constitution would otherwise still bar online wagering.

If you vote NO

There is no statute authorising or regulating online sports wagering, and the Gaming Commission has no rulemaking power over it.
Sports betting stays as it is: in person only, at the five licensed racetrack casinos.
No new tax stream is created, and nothing new flows to property tax relief.
If Measure 440 passed without this statute, the constitution would permit online wagering but no law would authorise it; the Legislature would have to write one.

The numbers that matter

Share of tax revenue directed to property tax relief: 70%
Signatures submitted for this petition: About 146,000
Blocked attempts by Nebraskans to reach out-of-state sportsbooks: 4.5 million between July 2023 and June 2024
Reported campaign funds: $6,237,500 for; $0 against

What each side says1 for, 1 against — quoted, not summarised

Why supporters say YES

"We believe voters will agree that a legal and regulated online sports wagering marketplace will keep the money in Nebraska, generating new revenue for local communities and millions of dollars in property tax relief."
— Jordan McGrain, sponsor of the measure, for the Tax Relief Nebraska campaign

Why opponents say NO

"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 — whose own estimates show less than a quarter of one percent in property tax relief — is a complete sham and raises serious questions about election integrity."
— Nate Grasz, executive director, Nebraska Family Alliance

What's genuinely uncertain

The Attorney General's certified ballot title, which is the wording voters will actually read, was not available to us. What is quoted above is the petition's object statement.
No official estimate of how much tax revenue online wagering would raise, or what it would mean for an average property tax bill, has been published. The competing figures come from the industry and from the measure's opponents.
The tax rate and the detail of the 70% property tax allocation sit in the measure's full text rather than in the object statement, so the wording circulated to signers does not state them.
This measure and Measure 440 are voted on separately and one can pass without the other.
The two sports betting petitions gathered nearly 350,000 signatures between them and drew litigation over signature validity during 2026, including a challenge the Nebraska Supreme Court declined in early September.

The bottom line

Whether to set up the licensing, regulation and taxation of online sports betting, with 70% of the tax going to property tax relief — the practical machinery of a change that only happens if the companion amendment also passes.

One neutral sentence describing the tradeoff — not a recommendation.

Sources (3)The numbers in the text above link here

Checking it against the official text

The Nebraska Secretary of State publishes the certified measures and, in most states, an official voter guide with fiscal notes. That is the authoritative version. Everything here is an explanation of it, not a substitute for it.

Confirm this with the official source

Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Nebraska Secretary of State.

Other measures on the Nebraska ballot

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Everything on the Nebraska ballot →

Nebraska Initiative Measure 441, explained

What it actually means

If you vote YES

If you vote NO

Why supporters say YES

Why opponents say NO

Checking it against the official text

Other measures on the Nebraska ballot

Candidates on the same ballot

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