Nebraska2026Active
LB1001
Nebraska Racing and Gaming Law Changes
Last scannedAug 25, 2026, 3:18 AM
In one sentence
This law updates rules for racetrack operations, betting deductions, bingo games including age limits and themes, lotteries, raffles, gift enterprises, and the administration of problem gambling support.
What it does
- Sets minimum numbers of live race days that existing and new racetracks must hold each year based on when they opened or became operational.
- Allows racetrack licensees to deduct between 15% and 18% from standard horse racing bets, up to 25% for exotic wagers, with the commission able to authorize other levels for interstate simulcasting.
- Changes rules for bingo games by allowing song titles or musical artists as themes, adjusting prize limits for certain types of bingo, and permitting people under 18 years old to play in specific cases.
- Updates definitions and provisions for lotteries, raffles, and gift enterprises run by nonprofit groups.
- Moves the Nebraska Commission on Problem Gambling under the State Racing and Gaming Commission for administrative purposes.
Who it affects
- Racetrack owners and operators in Nebraska
- People who bet on horse races or play bingo, lotteries, raffles, keno, or gift enterprises
- Nonprofit organizations that run games of chance
- The Department of Revenue and state gaming commissions
Limits and unknowns
- The text does not list the exact dollar amounts for new bingo prize limits.
- Specific dates when all these changes officially start are listed as an operative date but not fully detailed in this excerpt.
- The full details of how problem gambling funds will be managed after the change are not included here.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Parimutuel wagering
- A betting system where all money bet on a race is put in one pool, the house takes a cut between 15% and 25%, and winners split the rest.
- Simulcast facility
- A place licensed to show horse races from other tracks so people can watch them live and place bets.
- Gift enterprise
- An event where a group sells chances to win prizes, now allowed for nonprofit organizations under updated rules.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
Change and eliminate provisions relating to licensed racetrack enclosures, licenses and wagering on horseracing, assistance to problem gamblers, bingo, lotteries, raffles, gift enterprises, the Nebraska Commission on Problem Gambling, the Charitable Gaming Division of the Department of Revenue, keno at licensed racetrack enclosures, and the Compulsive Gamblers Assistance Fund
Official activity
Bill history
- Passed