- Ricketts, Spellerberg and Foley dropped their endorsements of Tim Anderson over a $750,000 contribution from Tax Relief Nebraska dated Oct. 27.
- FanDuel and DK Crown Holdings, the DraftKings parent, have each put more than $7 million into Tax Relief Nebraska to back Initiatives 440 and 441.
- Tax Relief Nebraska calls the withdrawals a double standard, saying a Save Nebraska Sports-funded group gave Spellerberg’s campaign $965,000.
- If both measures pass Tuesday, bettors limited to in-person wagers at racetrack casinos could bet online under rules due June 1, 2027.
LINCOLN, Neb. – Pete Ricketts, Joey Spellerberg and Mike Foley withdrew on Saturday as endorsers of Tim Anderson, who is running for the Legislature, over a $750,000 check his campaign took from the committee backing Nebraska’s online sports betting measures. The U.S. senator, state treasurer and state auditor, all Republicans, acted three days before the Nebraska sports betting vote on Initiatives 440 and 441, which is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Initiative 440 would write online Nebraska sports betting into the state constitution, limited to platforms the racetrack casino operators offer, and Initiative 441 would supply the statute regulating them, according to the ballot language. Anderson, the mayor of Sutton, faces GROW Nebraska chief executive Janell Anderson Ehrke for the District 38 seat in the Legislature.
The $750,000 appears in Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission filings as an Oct. 27 contribution from Tax Relief Nebraska, with Tim Anderson for Legislature as the recipient, KHGI reported. The station also found at least one commercial backing the measures that lists Anderson’s campaign as the payer.
Save Nebraska Sports, the coalition opposing the measures, announced the withdrawals. “We are disappointed that Tim Anderson chose to support online sports betting rather than protecting our young people and college sports,” the group said in a statement.
Ricketts told the station the promised property tax relief is “not really real” and “amounts to about a dollar a month if you own a $250,000 home.” Spellerberg asked for no votes on both measures and said the relief is not what supporters describe.
The supporters’ argument in the Secretary of State’s ballot pamphlet sends 70% of wagering tax revenue to the Property Tax Credit Cash Fund and projects more than $166 million in relief over 10 years. That works out to about $16.6 million a year. Opponents measure that against a statewide property tax bill above $5 billion a year, which leaves the projected relief below 0.5% of the total, according to a KHGI voter guide.
Anderson said he supports property tax relief and called the three officials great leaders. Ehrke said taking the donation “speaks to a lack of good judgment, prudence, and independence.”
Tax Relief Nebraska Replies
Tax Relief Nebraska replied that pulling support over a “fully disclosed contribution” is a double standard. It said Save Nebraska Sports funded Common Sense Nebraska, which gave $965,000 to Spellerberg’s campaign. Sponsor Jordan McGrain said both sides use candidate committees to buy advertising, which Nebraska law permits.
FanDuel and DK Crown Holdings, the DraftKings parent, have each sent Tax Relief Nebraska more than $7 million, 1011now reported Oct. 25. The operator money dates to at least April, when reports named the operators funding the initiative.
What Passage Would Change
Nebraska has offered legal sports betting at racetrack casinos since 2023. State law limits wagers to bettors 21 or older who place them in person or at a kiosk in a designated area at the track.
Initiative 441 would add online platforms run by the casino operators or their contracted providers, with bettors required to be inside Nebraska when they wager. The field would be limited to the licensed casino operators and the providers they hire.
Each operator could run no more than two platforms, any server hosting a platform would have to sit in Nebraska, and the statute would take effect Jan. 1, 2027. The State Racing and Gaming Commission would have to adopt online wagering rules by June 1, 2027 if voters pass online sports betting Tuesday.
