$50 million<\/a> in new tax revenue.<\/p>\nAccording to Keep the Money, Nebraskans are a major contributor to casino gaming \u2013 and the tax bases they support \u2013 in surrounding states. The state\u2019s residents spend about $500 million annually at casinos in Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Kansas, and Colorado.<\/p>\n
Iowa is the major benefactor of Nebraska\u2019s gamblers. According to an Associated Press<\/em> report, about a quarter of all Iowa\u2019s casino revenues came from its western neighbors. In 2013, that meant $327 million out of $1.4 billion. That also does not count what Nebraskans wager at Iowa\u2019s tribal casinos, either.<\/p>\nHHR Approved, For Now<\/h2>\n
While Keep the Money tries to legalize casino gaming, the Nebraska Racing Commission (NRC) has given the state\u2019s tracks the go-ahead to install historical horse racing (HHR) machines. The machines look like slot machines. However, each spin is based off the results of a previously run race, although information such as date and location of the race and the names of horses and jockeys are not shown. Gamblers can try to handicap the race or allow the machine to make the selections.<\/p>\n
The 3-2 decision is the second time in less than a year that the NRC passed the measure, but the re-vote was taken after concerns arose that the commission violated open meeting laws.<\/p>\n
While the racing industry supports the move, the World-Herald<\/em> reports questions still remain about the legality, both from the state\u2019s Attorney General and anti-gambling organizations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The push for casino gaming in Nebraska took an unexpected turn on Thursday when the outgoing president of the state\u2019s public university system said expanded gaming could benefit higher education. University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds told KETV NewsWatch 7 that the state needs to identify new sources of revenue. He noted that Nebraska\u2019s neighbor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":111057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14577,13],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Nebraska Casino Gaming Advocates Get Push from Outgoing NU Leader<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n