Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.
Bettors wager inside the sportsbook at Council Bluffs' Ameristar Casino last year.
More than 30 million Americans are expected to put down some $7.6 billion in bets on Sunday’s Super Bowl, but not a penny will be legally wagered in Nebraska.
Nor is it likely that there will be legal bets placed in Nebraska on the Super Bowl in 2023 — perhaps not even in 2024.
“To me, sports wagering in the state may be a ways off,” said Tom Sage, executive director of the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission. “I understand people's frustration. They think, ‘It was on the ballot, approved by the people. Why isn’t it happening now?’ It’s a long, detailed process and with sports wagering, we’re starting from scratch.”
Sports wagering was included in the three constitutional amendments overwhelmingly approved by Nebraska voters in 2020 to establish casino gambling at the state's licensed horse racing tracks.
As a result, many assumed that the first legal bets would have already been placed as part of the football season wrapping up with Sunday's game between Cincinnati and the Los Angeles Rams.
But, because Nebraska does not allow online and mobile wagering, legal sports gambling in the state can’t begin until the so-called “racinos” are approved by the commission, likely sometime later this year.
Once those licenses are issued, sports betting could be offered at temporary facilities transformed into casinos while the permanent spaces are built.
But, at the proposed WarHorse Casino in southwest Lincoln, there won’t be any sports wagering until the permanent building is in place.
“We’re going to be really short on space,” said Lynne McNally, executive vice president of the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, which is partnering with Ho-Chunk Inc. to build the casino at Lincoln Race Course.
Once the casino license is in hand, officials plan to swiftly convert the existing simulcast wagering complex in Lincoln into a temporary casino floor with 305 slot machines.
"Once the permanent facility is open, it will have a full sportsbook,” McNally said.
Construction of the $220 million resort-style casino and hotel at U.S. 77 and West Denton Road will take about 20 months.
As is the case in Lincoln, Omaha's WarHorse Casino will not have sports betting in its temporary location, and plans for a South Sioux City casino are still in the works, McNally said. Ho-Chunk has partnered with the horsemen's group to build casinos at those tracks.
It is possible that casinos at tracks in Grand Island, Hastings or Columbus could offer sports betting in temporary locations, but it will be several months before those facilities can begin operating.
In December, a full year after votes to approve gambling were cast, the commission approved 67 pages of rules and regulations that must be adopted before it can begin the process of granting casino licenses. Those rules are now being reviewed by Attorney General Doug Peterson.
Once Peterson’s office approves the rules, they go to Gov. Pete Ricketts, who opposed the casino gambling amendments. After Ricketts’ approval, the rules will go to the Secretary of State and become effective about a week later.
Only then can the commission consider and approve casino license applications. Chairman Dennis Lee said it is likely the commission will consider applications from the six existing tracks before turning its attention to applications for new tracks, which will first have to be approved for a racing license before they can apply for a gaming permit.
Depending on the timeline, Nebraska will become either the seventh, eighth or ninth state in the Big Ten Conference region with legalized sports betting. Ohio and Wisconsin are also in the midst of implementing sports wagering.
Only Minnesota among the Big Ten states will not have sports wagering in the near future. Nationwide, the list of states without sports betting has continued to shrink since 2018, when the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which banned sports betting almost everywhere outside of Nevada.
A rendering shows plans for a sportsbook at WarHorse Gaming casinos proposed for Lincoln and Omaha.
Sports wagering is now legal and available at different levels in 31 states. Experts believe Missouri, Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine may all legalize sports betting yet this year, and California, Texas, Georgia and Kentucky could follow in 2023.
“As a result, we expect 60% of the U.S. population will have access to legalized sports betting in 2022, rising to 83% in 2023,” according to a Macquarie analysis of the explosive growth of sports wagering.
Estimates of how much money the Nebraska casinos will take in from sports betting and how much tax revenue the state will see from wagers on games are inexact, at best.
Iowa, which was one of the earliest states to adopt sports wagering, has taken in hundreds of millions more than expected in bets and, as a result, generated much more tax revenue. But Nebraska, even when the betting windows open, lacks many of the elements that have made sports betting in Iowa such a success.
“Nebraska is not a very populous state and the lack of mobile sports betting options will undoubtedly limit the revenue the state government can expect,” Gaming Today wrote in comparing the potential intake of sports betting in Nebraska with that already being realized in Iowa.
“March 2021 saw Iowa’s state government benefit from over $13 million in tax revenue from combined mobile and in-person bets. It’s unlikely Nebraska will reach this amount, as mobile bets are still illegal. But some millions of dollars are not out of the question, particularly if the sportsbooks are well constructed and are operated by popular companies like DraftKings.”
The operators of the Nebraska casinos have not yet been determined. A request-for-proposal to operate the Lincoln, Omaha and South Sioux City casinos is being prepared and will be issued in coming weeks, McNally said.
Whoever those operators turn out to be, they will have to work under sports wagering rules and regulations that have not yet been formulated.
That rulemaking process is likely to begin in July and follow the same pattern the commission used to create the casino rules and regulations.
“We’ll generate some rules and have our consultant look at them,” Sage said. “Right now, Colorado seems to have some very good sports wagering rules. I think we’ll use many of them.”
Among the issues that will have to be worked out in the rulemaking process is the legality of “prop bets,” as the provisions in the law passed by the Legislature last year to implement sports wagering appears to prohibit bets on individual performances. That, Sage said, might extend to most prop bets, such as the outcome of the coin flip in Sunday's Super Bowl.
There is one certainty that will be included in the gaming rules, which are likely to be finalized near the end of 2022 or in early 2023.
“No matter what, you can’t bet on a home game,” McNally said.
That’s because senators agreed to ban wagering on home games of any Nebraska college — aimed primarily at Nebraska football — in LB561, a compromise so the bill establishing sports wagering in the state could avoid a filibuster and be approved last year.
Oregon now prohibits all in-state college betting, as will Wisconsin. But the Nebraska prohibition only extends to home games. So, if the Huskers play at Ohio State, Nebraskans will be able to wager on the game. But when the Buckeyes play in Lincoln, no bets will be allowed.
During legislative debate, Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, who championed the ban on betting on home games, pointed to what might happen if the Huskers would take a knee to close out a win but the fans would boo because NU didn't try to cover the spread. "It would change the entire tenor of the game if (fans) are not yelling for the team, but for their pocketbook.”
That logic was lost on many, including Lincoln Sen. Adam Morfeld, who called the home game betting ban “completely illogical puritanical nonsense."
“I will never understand that,” McNally said. “When you can’t bet on a home game, what will everyone do? Drive over to Council Bluffs and place their wagers.”
While the precise number of Nebraskans who already drive across the Missouri River to bet on sports is impossible to determine, Iowa State Rep. Megan Jones said in a letter to her constituents that 23% of the state’s casino foot traffic and as much as 80% of traffic at the three Council Bluffs casinos comes from Nebraska.
Online sports betting is legal in Iowa, meaning fans can bet on their phone from anywhere inside the state's borders. But evidence of Nebraskans traveling to Iowa to bet on sports can be found in the revenue reports of the three Council Bluffs casinos, two of which show high levels of “retail” wagering.
At Ameristar Casino, $5.5 million of its $17.2 million November handle came from bets placed in the casino. That was the second-highest total for retail wagering in the state, trailing only the Diamond Jo casino in Worth County, just south of Iowa’s border with Minnesota.
At Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs, $3.8 million of its $10.1 million handle was wagered inside the sportsbook.
How prevalent is mobile betting elsewhere in Iowa? In-casino wagers statewide represented only 9% of all November bets.
Sunday afternoon, the Council Bluffs sportsbooks will likely be full of Nebraskans, with eyes on the Bengals as an underdog, the national anthem going more than a minute, 35 seconds, and perhaps, whether the first bets in their home state will happen before next year.
The flashing lights, the sirens, the hum of conversation, and the thrill of placing a bet are all part of the allure of casinos. While gambling has been around for centuries, casinos began popping up in Italy in the 17th century. The Casino di Venezia, which opened in 1638 in Venice, is the world’s oldest casino, though it was originally known as Theatre Saint Moses. It offered guests the opportunity to gamble during theatrical production intermissions.
By the 19th century, casinos appeared all over Europe. In the United States, towns like Las Vegas and Reno in Nevada, and Atlantic City in New Jersey, became known for casinos and the infamous ties held to organized crime. Gambling itself had a reputation as a vice that could lead to other bad habits.
Hollywood’s own obsession with casinos has a long history as well. Classic film “Casablanca” features a casino as part of Rick Blaine’s nightclub. Throughout the next several decades, directors like Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Soderbergh tried their hand at movies about the appeal of gambling and the casinos that supported the lifestyle.
OLBG researched the history of casinos on screen and put together a list of 20 of the best casino films. To be included, movies had to have important scenes take place in a casino, and the film had to have at least a 6.0 on IMDb or a 65 on Metacritic.
This fictionalized retelling of a true story stars Kevin Spacey as Jack Abramoff, a corrupt Washington D.C. lobbyist motivated by greed and power. Abramoff and his partner Michael Scanlon stole funds from Native American casinos all while twisting laws for their convenience. In a nod to the 1996 film “Jerry Maguire,” one scene finds Scanlon and Abramoff screaming, “Show me the money!” Actress Kelly Preston who plays Abramoff’s wife in the film played Maguire’s former girlfriend as well.
The sequel to “Ocean’s Eleven” finds Danny Ocean adding a partner to his band of thieves as they work together to pull off several European heists. Steven Soderbergh directed not only this second film in what would be a trilogy, but all three “Ocean’s” installments. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Elliot Gould, and Bruce Willis not only starred in the film, but they also had another thing in common—they were all guest stars on the sitcom “Friends.”
Featuring the Rat Pack—Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop—“Ocean’s 11,” focuses on 11 men who pull off an unbelievable Las Vegas heist. Danny Ocean, played by Sinatra, leads his former World War II buddies in a plan to rob multiple casinos in a single night. This classic film would be remade in 2001 with George Clooney taking over the role of Danny Ocean. Angie Dickinson played Danny Ocean’s ex-wife in the 1960 film, while Julia Roberts stepped in for the updated version in 2001.
The seventh film in the James Bond film franchise, which was based on the novels by Ian Fleming, stars Sean Connery as 007. The spy jets off to Las Vegas to investigate diamond smuggling and discovers a wealthy tycoon and a nefarious plot. Connery was the first actor to play James Bond and starred in seven of the films. The Oscar-nominated film was shot on location in Las Vegas at several casinos including The Riviera, Tropicana Las Vegas, and Circus Circus Las Vegas.
This film chronicled the life of notorious mobster Bugsy Siegel and his significant role in building modern Las Vegas. Starring Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, the two would fall in love during filming, marry soon after, and go on to have four children together. The film was nominated for an astounding 10 Oscars and won two. While “Bugsy” lost for best picture at the Oscars to “The Silence of the Lambs,” it did manage to take home the Golden Globe Award for best motion picture–drama.
Under the tutelage of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, six MIT students were trained to become card counters and made a killing in Las Vegas in this film, which is loosely based on the novel “Bringing Down the House” by Ben Mezrich. While many filming locations were in Boston, including the Public Garden, Boston University, and Newbury Street, Las Vegas was also an important filming locale for “21.” According to the Nevada Film Office, shooting took place in many Las Vegas casinos, including Planet Hollywood, The Venetian, Caesars Palace, Hard Rock Hotel, and Red Rock Casino.
An unlucky man is used by the mob to cool things down for high rollers who are on a winning streak at a Las Vegas casino until he gets lucky in love, changing his own luck at the casino. Maria Bello, William H. Macy, and Alec Baldwin star in this film that was primarily shot in Reno, Nevada. Baldwin received both an Oscar and a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor for his role as casino boss Shelly Kaplow.
The final film in the “Ocean’s Eleven” trilogy, “Ocean’s Thirteen” finds the gang getting together to pull off another heist after one of the original 11 is double-crossed by casino owner Willy Bank, who is played by legendary actor Al Pacino. One of the lines in the film, “You shook Sinatra’s hand,” is a reference to Frank Sinatra who played Danny Ocean in the original version of “Ocean’s 11.” The phrase is meant as a sort of moral code or gentleman’s agreement.
When Seth Davis’ father, a judge, catches him running an illegal casino from his apartment, he isn’t happy. Davis, played by Giovanni Ribisi, goes out and gets a job as a broker in a boiler room, which according to Dictionary.com is, “a place where illicit brokers engage in high-pressure selling, over the telephone, of securities of a highly speculative nature or of dubious value.” The film was loosely based on the story of Jordan Belfort who was the subject of the 2013 Martin Scorsese film, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” which was also the title of Belfort’s memoir.
At the heart of this film is a tale of gambling addiction. Based on the true story of Brian Molony, “Owning Mahowny” tells the tale of Dan Mahowny, a bank manager, who has access to multimillion dollar accounts that he used to feed his gambling habit. The real-life Molony committed bank fraud by embezzling $10.4 million from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The film, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman as Mahowny, was filmed in Toronto and Atlantic City, where Molony actually dropped $1.4 million at a New Jersey casino just before his arrest in 1982.
Aspiring writer Jack Manfred gets a job as a croupier, someone who works the tables at a casino and handles bets and payouts. While Jack does not gamble, his father does, and it is he who gets Jack the job at a London casino. Portrayed by Clive Owen, Jack gets caught up in a love triangle and a plot to cheat the casino before the film’s end. The casino in the film was actually created on a set in Germany.
James Caan stars as high-stakes gambler and English professor Axel Freed, who gets so caught up in gambling that he offers a loan shark his life for collateral against a loan. This crime thriller earned Caan an Oscar nod for best actor. Screenwriter James Toback has plenty of experience with gambling and based the film’s screenplay on his own addiction—though Freed’s gambling appears to be an addiction to the rush and danger rather than to the act of gambling. A 2014 remake of the film starred Mark Wahlberg in the lead role.
A casual gambler and a professional become friends and dig themselves deeper into the world of betting in this film starring Elliott Gould and George Segal. In a final desperate attempt to win big, the two characters head to Reno, Nevada, for the poker game to end all poker games. “California Split” was the first non-Cinerama film to use the eight-track sound system for dialogue, allowing for the recording of eight separate audio channels. The use of this technology solidified Altman’s use of overlapping dialogue, which became one of his trademarks as a director.
“Hard Eight” marked director Paul Thomas Anderson’s film debut and was based on his short film “Coffee & Cigarettes.” A professional gambler played by Philip Baker Hall, takes a novice played by John C. Reilly, under his wing. Things go okay until the novice falls for Clementine, a cocktail waitress played by Gwyneth Paltrow. Several casinos in Reno and Sparks, Nevada, served as filming locations, including the Nugget Casino Resort.
Not only does this film star Matt Damon and Edward Norton, but the supporting cast is an entertainment industry who’s who and includes John Malkovich, John Turturro, Martin Landau, and Famke Janssen. The story finds Damon’s character, Mike McDermott, who is a reformed gambler, helping out his friend, played by Norton, who was recently released from prison and who drags McDermott right back into the world he was trying to escape. Many of the film’s locations were made to look like casinos or country clubs, including the fictional Chesterfield Club in the film.
Screenwriter and alcoholic Ben Sanderson, played by Nicolas Cage, heads to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. There he meets a prostitute named Sera, portrayed by Elisabeth Shue, who promises not to interfere with his plan, though things get complicated when they fall in love. The film is based on John O’Brien’s semi-autobiographical novel. O’Brien died at 33, before production on the film began, and according to the author’s father, the novel served as a morbid suicide note.
Starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford, this classic film finds a small-time gambler getting caught up in shady business when he discovers his former lover is married to his current employer at a casino in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The film was nominated for the Grand Prize of the Festival for feature film at the Cannes Film Festival. Hayworth did not sing a word in the film, but rather, was talented at lip syncing. Anita Ellis was the singing voice behind Gilda.
A remake of the 1960 film starring Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack, this version stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt with their own modern-day crew, which includes Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck, Eddie Jemison, Don Cheadle, Carl Reiner, and Shaobo Qin. Like the original, the remake features Danny Ocean and his pals robbing three casinos at the same time. “Ocean’s Eleven” received several nominations for best acting ensemble.
In his first mission as super spy 007, Daniel Craig as James Bond must defeat an evil banker at Casino Royale, Montenegro, at high-stakes poker. The film serves as Bond’s origin story though it was the 21st film in the franchise and the third film adaptation of Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel. “Casino Royale” was mainly filmed in the Czech Republic spa-town of Karlovy Vary.
This film was the final one for Saul Bass who designed the title sequence. Bass was well known for his work that not only included several Scorsese films including “GoodFellas,” and “Cape Fear,” but classics such as “Psycho” and “Spartacus.” Starring Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Sharon Stone, “Casino” was inspired by organized crime associate and casino manager Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal and focuses on the relationship between a casino executive and a mob enforcer. Striving for authenticity, Scorsese filmed at the Las Vegas Riviera, occupying a small section of the casino while real gambling was taking place.
This story originally appeared on OLBG and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com. On Twitter @KentWolgamott
Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.
L. Kent Wolgamott, the recipient of the 2018 Mayor’s Arts Award, has written about arts and entertainment for Lincoln newspapers since 1985, reviewing thousands of movies and concerts and hundreds of art exhibitions.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
The Nebraska congressman's trial on allegations he lied to federal agents now is set to start March 15.
An income tax reduction bill in the Legislature would incrementally reduce the top income tax rate for individuals from 6.84% to 5.84%, providing parity with the top corporate income tax rate.
Nebraska gets spring ball rolling on Feb. 28 — and here are five players who are at crossroads-type moments of their careers.
The question now is whether opponents will mount another petition drive, as some opponents who testified indicated was the plan.
Gary Nachman of the Anti-Defamation League said his organization monitors antisemitic incidents in the region. Over the past 10 years, the league has seen an increase, on average, of about 30% of antisemitic incidents in Nebraska.
In 2016, 180 horses were quarantined at Fonner Park following three confirmed cases of EHV-1.
Casino proponents in western Nebraska will be playing a waiting game based on legislation approved this month that stemmed from the November 2020 vote to approve casinos at licensed horse tracks in the state.
Bettors wager inside the sportsbook at Council Bluffs' Ameristar Casino last year.
A rendering shows plans for a sportsbook at WarHorse Gaming casinos proposed for Lincoln and Omaha.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.