{"id":148356,"date":"2020-09-10T21:40:46","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T04:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=148356"},"modified":"2020-09-11T12:58:05","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T19:58:05","slug":"nebraska-gaming-vote-pushed-forward-by-state-supreme-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/nebraska-gaming-vote-pushed-forward-by-state-supreme-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Nebraska Gaming Vote Pushed Forward by State Supreme Court"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gambling expansion is a step closer in Nebraska after the state\u2019s highest court paved the way for a three-initiative referendum in November, by a narrow 4-3 decision Thursday, Sept. 10.<\/p>\n

\"Nebraska
Secretary of State Bob Evnen had opposed the vote on whether to allow expanded gambling at Nebraska\u2019s commercial racetracks. But the state Supreme Court disagreed. (Image: Scottsbluff Star-Herald<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A majority of the justices rejected the arguments from Secretary of State Bob Evnen, who opposed the vote on whether to allow expanded gambling at Nebraska\u2019s commercial racetracks.<\/p>\n

Gaming opponents claimed the state could see expanded tribal gaming<\/a> if the proposal were approved. Evnen further argued that the language used in the initiatives was unclear and was not in the correct form.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ultimately, the justices reversed the Secretary of State’s decision.<\/p>\n

The Good Life?<\/h2>\n

\u201cI am certainly not happy about it,\u201d said Pat Loontjer, a board member of the anti-gambling expansion group Gambling With The Good Life, in an email sent to Casino.org.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“We will do what we have done successfully for the past 25 years, and that is to use our grassroots efforts to inform the voters and defeat this thing,\u201d Loontjer pledged. \u201cWe are the \u2018Good Life State,\u2019 and we don’t want to become the \u2018Gambling State.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

She points out the same issue has been proposed twice before, \u201cand we beat it both times — once by 65 percent, so here we go. The Indians put up over $2M to get the signatures, so you can only imagine what they will put up for the campaign.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Referendum Supporters Thrilled with Decision<\/h2>\n

But Keep the Money in Nebraska, which supports the gaming expansion vote, supported the justices\u2019 ruling, according to organization spokesman Drew Niehaus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled that the 475,000 Nebraskans<\/a> who signed the petitions get the chance to vote on the initiatives this fall,\u201d Niehaus said. \u201cOn a bigger scale, the decision affirms the importance of the referendum process within Nebraska politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

The deadline to determine whether the vote will be placed on the ballot is Friday, Sept. 11, according to KETV,<\/em> a local TV station. If approved by voters, expanded gambling could be implemented at racetracks in Columbus, Grand Island, Hastings, Lincoln, Omaha, and South Sioux City.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Keep the Money in Nebraska claims expanded gambling will lead to 4,600 new jobs and more than $45 million in property tax relief each year. Currently, more than $350 million is spent by Nebraska residents visiting casinos located in nearby states, such as Iowa.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That works out to between $65 million and $80 million annually lost in Nebraskan tax revenue, gaming expansion supporters said. Gambling expansion in Nebraska can curb those losses.<\/p>\n

Keep the Money in Nebraska<\/a> is a political committee and partnership between Ho-Chunk, Inc. and the Nebraska Horsemen\u2019s Benevolent and Protective Association.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gambling expansion is a step closer in Nebraska after the state\u2019s highest court paved the way for a three-initiative referendum in November, by a narrow 4-3 decision Thursday, Sept. 10. A majority of the justices rejected the arguments from Secretary of State Bob Evnen, who opposed the vote on whether to allow expanded gambling at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":148359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14577,60],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStatewide Gaming Vote Pushed Forward by Nebraska Supreme Court<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Expanded gambling is a step closer in Nebraska after a Supreme Court ruling. 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