In Nebraska, a petition drive has begun to place a question about legal casino gaming on the 2020 ballot. The effort is supported by Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic development corporation of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Ho-Chunk Chief Executive Officer Lance Morgan said, “Hundreds of millions of dollars go across the border to Iowa every year. For a Nebraskan to do gaming, you have to go half a mile. It’s the height of paternalism to try to try to restrict it.”
Morgan added internal polling indicates voters would approve the measure in a statewide referendum.
Currently Nebraska law allows tribal casinos to offer bingo, poker, keno, horseracing and a lottery.
In 2016 a similar effort failed to gather enough signatures. Though the company hired to manage the petition drive claimed it collected more than enough signatures, nearly 42,000 were invalidated. That company faces a lawsuit. Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association President Bob Moser said, “We’ve learned from our mistakes in the past. We have a really good plan and great partners, and we’re very optimistic about our chances this time.”
The latest campaign will require three petitions: a constitutional amendment that would allow casino gambling at state-licensed horseracing tracks, and two that would change state law regarding regulation and taxes. The state Supreme Court rejected a previous measure that merged those two issues onto one ballot, forcing voters to give one yes-or-no answer to several questions.
Moser said the state’s struggling horseracing industry could be revived by allowing casinos at state-licensed horseracing tracks. He said the move would increase purse sizes and make the races larger and more competitive.
Opponents of casino gambling include the conservative Nebraska Family Alliance. President Nate Grasz said, “Casinos are bad for families and bad for business. All men and women deserve an opportunity to build the best lives for themselves, and state-sanctioned gambling robs them of that opportunity.”
Gambling with the Good Life Executive Director Pat Loontjer conceded public support for casino gambling has increased. “It’s going to be hard. We’ve been doing this for 24 years, and, well, the atmosphere in the state has changed.”
