Nebraska advances bill to ease into new casino development
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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would ease Nebraska into new casino development while trying to prevent a surge in new facilities won first-round approval from lawmakers on Tuesday.
Lawmakers advanced the measure through the first of three required votes.
It would allow casinos in the six Nebraska counties that already have licensed horseracing tracks. Anyone who wants to build a casino in another part of the state would have to wait for the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission to conduct a detailed study looking at the potential impact on the state.
The commission would approve or deny licenses based on its analysis.
The study would be due by Jan. 1, 2025.
Sen. Tom Briese, chairman of the General Affairs Committee, has said the measure seeks to strike a balance between developers and communities who want to build casinos and gambling opponents who worry about casinos saturating the state.
Earlier proposals would have put specific limits on the number of casinos and the distance between locations.
The counties with existing tracks are all in eastern and central Nebraska. They are Douglas, Lancaster, Adams, Dakota, Hall, and Platte. Some lawmakers want to see casinos farther out west.
