Nebraska Senator seeks to cap the number of future casinos

Senator Tom Briese of Albino, a member of the General Affairs Committee, is looking into introducing legislation that would look into potential regulations for casinos.

Since voters took to polls to approve gaming in Nebraska and with the potential for 11 racetracks within the first year, with already five new applications to join the existing 6 tracks, senators in the state are looking at the potential for limitations on how many casinos the state should have.

“There really are multiple avenues that I could take in that regard. It could be an outright cap on the number, we could limit the number of casinos based on geographical proximity to existing casinos, or we might require a minimum number of races to be conducted at the tracks before they could be issued a license,” Briese said, as reported by KLKN. Legislation would be introduced at the start of the legislative season in January.

It’s an idea even officials with WarHorse and Nebraska Horseman agree with.

Lynne McNally Vice President of Nebraska Horsemen, commented: “Part of our commitment during the campaign was not only to keep the money in Nebraska but that these facilities were not going to be next to every church and school in every county of the state. So, we feel strongly that they should be limited.”

Briese and McNally said finding the perfect balance of what those regulations will look like, could be tough but it’s something that needs to be done. While Briese hasn’t always been a supporter of gambling in the state, he said he knows it’s what voters have asked for, so they’ll work to see everything runs smoothly.

“They want the property tax relief that provides and it’s really incumbent on us to see that the voters' will is respected. And, so any cap or limitation in here, we want to make sure that that also is consistent with what the voters demanded. But again, also consistent with Nebraska values,” Briese added,