The members of Nebraska‘s General Affairs Committee voted 5-3, this week, to advance Legislative Resolution 10CA, a bill that would give lawmakers the power to authorize any form of gambling in the state.
Nebraska voters, who currently have this power, had approved betting on horse races, state lottery and charitable gaming such as keno and pickle cards but rejected off-track betting, casinos and slot machines.
“LR 10CA would not itself change the types of gambling allowed in Nebraska. Rather, it would remove a barrier placed in the state constitution more than 150 years ago,” said Sen. Paul Schumacher, who introduced the amendment.
Sen. Tyson Larson said that he supported LR 10CA because he believes Nebraska has been missing out on the funds that could come from expanded gambling.
The bill is likely to face opposition as Sen. Merv Riepe, who voted against the proposal, said that he doesn’t want to take away the decision of this matter from Nebraska voters. Sen. Beau McCoy has already filed a motion to kill the proposal.
In Alabama, a statewide poll conducted by News 5 shows that 69% of Alabamians said that Governor should consider gambling before raising taxes, 72% said that they support lottery, and 60% would vote for casino-style gambling.
In 1999, voters rejected a lottery proposal, with the religious right and Mississippi casinos leading the opposition, leaving Alabama one of the six states that does not have a lottery.
“This is not what I would expect to see on Election Day,” said Jon Gray, a political strategist who conducted the News 5 poll. “You would have a debate, you would have opposing groups, and quite frankly, since 1999 the Indian tribes in Alabama have developed a billion dollar industry of gaming. You can rest assured that they would oppose a lottery in Alabama.”
Bentley’s Spokesperson Jennifer Ardis told News 5 that the governor would not oppose a lottery referendum “should the idea miraculously make it out of the legislature.”
But Bentley also expressed his opposition to an expansion of the state’s Indian casinos. Bentley said that the state legislature would face an approximately $700m shotfall but he does not consider gambling as a possible fix.
