What’s at stake as Nebraska voters decide whether to legalize online sports betting in the midterms

Nebraskans will vote on two ballot measures that can reshape the state’s gambling industry and bring mobile sports betting to bettors across the state.

Measures 440 and 441 on Nebraska’s midterm ballot would collectively legalize and regulate online sports wagering, allowing people located in the state to place bets on professional and college sporting events. The measures come at a time when sports betting has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the American gambling industry.

Since the Supreme Court cleared the way for states to legalize sports wagering in 2018, sportsbooks have expanded into dozens of markets, turning professional sports into a lucrative business for gambling operators, advertisers and media companies.

And the state has much to gain from legalization—the biggest selling point being the possibility of generating additional tax revenue.

What are the initiatives, exactly?

The two initiatives are designed to work together, but they address different parts of the legalization process. Initiative 440 is a proposed constitutional amendment. It would amend the state’s constitution to authorize legislation allowing people to place sports wagers through internet-based platforms operated by authorized gaming operators connected to licensed racetrack casinos.

“We know Nebraskans are already wagering on sports through illegal and offshore platforms or driving to a neighboring state where wagering is legal,” supporters of the measures wrote in the Nebraska secretary of state’s informational pamphlet. “This means millions of dollars in tax revenue leave our state every year. Initiative 440 keeps the money in Nebraska through a........

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