Nebraska Football: Sports gambling moves forward, with a catch

Nebraska football fans who enjoy putting a bit of money on college football games got a bit closer to being able to do that without having to go to a neighboring state. However, there are still quite a few catches to the plan Nebraska is rolling out.

The Nebraska Racing & Gaming Commission officially signed off on the rules for sports betting in the state on Friday, allowing the molasses-slow rollout of sports gambling to move forward a little.  The next step is for the rules, which were first put in place by the state Legislature, is for them to go in front of the Attorney General for his signoff.

If and when the AG does indeed sign off, the plan will go to the Governor’s desk who will then need to accept them as well. The final step before they are officially the law of the land is to got to the Secretary of State’s office.

While that might sound like good news to Nebraska football fans who enjoy sports gambling, the caveats for the rollout are many. Right at the top of the list is that gambling on any sport where the majority of athletes are under 18 is not allowed. This particular rule is clearly put in place so people can’t gamble on high school sports.

Husker fans will also have to place their wagers in person and only at places where gambling is currently allowed. That means casinos and horse tracks, apparently. There will need to be dedicated kiosks for these activities.

That rules out popular apps like FanDuel SportsBook, which are allowed in every other state that has legalized sports gambling. That’s likely going to cause some Nebraska football fans to become a bit annoyed that they still need to drive somewhere in order to place a bet.

The most interesting wrinkle is part of the law that was put in place by the Legislature. That amendment made it so that there can be no wagering inside the state on Nebraska football or any other Cornhuskers’ sports team.

Just when the final steps will be taken is a big unknown at this point. The state has certainly been taking its time even getting to this point.