Nebraska Defeats Big Gambling: NFA Celebrates Historic Victory Over Online Sports Betting Initiatives 440 & 441

Nebraska voters have rejected Initiatives 440 and 441, defeating an unprecedented effort by some of the world’s largest gambling corporations to legalize 24/7 online sports betting in Nebraska.

Nebraska Family Alliance Executive Director Nate Grasz released the following statement:

“This is one of the greatest David-and-Goliath victories in the history of Nebraska politics. Nebraskans stood up to powerful gambling corporations with seemingly limitless resources and refused to let them buy their way into our state.

These corporations spent tens of millions of dollars flooding our state with deceptive ads and false promises of property tax relief, but Nebraskans saw through the deception and chose to protect kids, families, and student athletes from predatory online gambling.

This was never about tax relief. This was about trying to turn every phone into a casino, every play into a wager, and enriching out-of-state gambling corporations at the expense of Nebraska families.

The odds were stacked against us, but we never gave up, because the next generation deserves adults willing to stand up, tell the truth, and protect them—even when the odds seem impossible.”

Initiatives 440 and 441 sought to legalize 24/7 online sports betting in Nebraska. Proponents spent more than $20 million promoting the initiatives, with nearly all of the contributions coming from out-of-state gambling companies. 

A strong coalition of Nebraska leaders opposed the initiatives, including Coach Tom Osborne, State Auditor Mike Foley, State Treasurer Joey Spellerberg, and NFA. 

Voters rejected Initiatives 440 and 441, 45%–55% and 46%–54%, respectively, as of 12:00 AM CST.