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Nebraska sports betting will launch Thursday at a casino in Lincoln.
WarHorse Casino Lincoln announced that its new sportsbook will open for business on Thursday, June 22. The casino initially planned to launch its sportsbook by the end of May, before the College World Series baseball tournament started.
With the official opening day announced, all patrons are welcome to visit. They will be able to place bets at the sportsbook or any of the 10 kiosks offered throughout the facility.
WarHorse partnered with Kambi Group to launch the new sportsbook. The casino has also hired a gaming expert Jason Johnston to manage its sports betting operation. Johnson was BetMGM’s sportsbook manager.
Sport betting in Nebraska starts on Thursday at 3:00pm! pic.twitter.com/TbFigCOHmn
— WarHorse Lincoln (@WarHorseLincoln) June 19, 2023
Nebraska casino players can bet on a variety of sports
According to the Omaha World Herald’s article, Lance Morgan, CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc, the parent company of WarHorse Gaming LLC, said:
“Nebraskans have been asking for the opportunity to wager on sports since the ballot initiatives were passed in 2020. We’re thrilled to be the first casino in the state to offer sports betting.”
Nebraska gambling regulations require bets to be placed onsite at the casino. So, while at WarHorse Lincoln premises players can use the WarHorse app.
As Morgan said, players can bet on a variety of sports, and not just major pro sports leagues, like MLB and the NFL.
The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission allows betting on several other pro sports. The selection includes:
- Golf
- Tennis
- Professional bull riding and rodeo
- College sports
Nebraska’s new sportsbook will help improve gambling taxes
Nebraska lawmakers approved legal sports betting at casinos and racetracks in 2021. But the bill went into effect just last year.
The launch of the new sportsbook will boost gambling taxes in Nebraska, which have been falling off in recent months.
According to the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, WarHorse Lincoln and the Grand Island Casino & Resort combined to produce almost $1.3 million in May. Taxes from gaming at two Nebraska racetracks decreased by 7% from April to May, marking the second-lowest total since January.
Both Grand Island and Columbus plan to add sports betting at some point, but it’s still unknown when.
