At 5:00 p.m., Thursday, July 7, the pro-casino group, Keep the Money in Nebraska must turn in petitions with enough valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot, allowing voters to determine the outcome of three gambling-related proposals. One is a constitutional amendment that would allow casino gambling at licensed horse racetracks. Another is a state law that would regulate racetrack gambling, and the third would detail how the revenue would be divided.
Spokesman Scott Lautenbaugh said, “We’re gathering signatures hand over fist with all the events going on,” such as the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraskaland Days in North Platte and a Justin Bieber concert in Lincoln. Circulators also are collecting signatures outside post offices, Department of Motor Vehicles offices and county courthouses. Lautenbaugh said the group will continue collecting signatures until they’re submitted to the Secretary of State’s office for verification.
The constitutional amendment requires about 117,000 valid signatures, or 10 percent of registered voters. The proposed state laws must have about 82,000 signatures from 7 percent of registered voters. All three petitions require signatures from at least 5 percent of registered voters in a minimum of 38 counties.
Members of the anti-gambling group, Gambling With the Good Life, said they expect the petition drive to succeed. Executive Director Pat Loonter said, “We expect that with $1 million and 10 months, they’ve got their numbers.” The group is building a coalition called No Slots Nebraska to potentially mount a legal challenge to the proposals. Looter said attorneys are examining the petition language and considering options.
“It worked two other times, and we just pray that it will work again,” Loonter said, referring to gambling defeats in 2004 and 2006.
In May, Keep the Money in Nebraska’s campaign finance reports showed the group had raised and spent about $1.1 million. Most of the money came from Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic development wing of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, and the remaining $29,000 came from horse racing groups.
