Legislation

Referendum to expand gaming in Nebraska fails to qualify for ballot

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Signatures for the gaming petitions were delivered in July 2016. Photo by Nebraska Secretary of State

The economic development corporation of the Winnebago Tribe has failed to secure enough signatures to put a series of gaming initiatives on the November ballot.

In a July 7 press release, Keep the Money in Nebraska said it turned in about 310,000 signatures across three petitions. Of those, 119,666 were collected for a constitutional amendment to authorize casinos at licensed racetracks, The Lincoln Journal Star reported.

To qualify for the ballot, the amendment would have needed 117,188 signatures, or 10 percent of registered voters. But a significant number -- nearly 35 percent -- were invalidated, Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale announced on Thursday, so it failed to qualify.

“County election officials accepted 77,956 signatures and rejected 41,710 signatures,” Gale said in a press release. The 77,956 signatures that were accepted falls far below the threshold.

Had the amendment qualified for the ballot and gained voter approval, the Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic development arm of the tribe, would have been able to operate a casino at the South Sioux City Racing and Events Center, a licensed racetrack.

Approval also could have led to Class III gaming. Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, tribes can engage in the same types of games that are permitted in a state.

Class III gaming is legal in various forms in all of Nebraska's neighboring states: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota and Wyoming.

Ho-Chunk Inc. owns Indianz.Com but the website is not involved in the corporation's activities.

Read More the Story:
Gambling petitions don't get enough valid signatures (The Lincoln Journal Star 8/11)
Gambling petition falls well short, won’t make the November ballot (Nebraska Radio Network 8/11)