Find the Nebraska Gambling Age: Casinos, Sports Betting & More

Nebraska, known as The Tree Planter State, has a very strict approach when it comes to gambling. With very limited forms of betting available to residents of Nebraska, those who are massive fans of traditional casino games and enjoy placing a sports wager are best placed to visit neighboring states where laws are a bit more liberal.

However, while Nebraska does have strict laws, there are still some forms of gambling that residents can enjoy such as; tribal casinos, the state lottery, bingo and charity raffles. On this page we will discuss the legality of each activity in the state, as well as discuss the legal Nebraska gambling age for each betting type.

In the table above you can see the minimum ages for each form of legalized gambling in Nebraska. As you can see the legal ages vary from 18-21 depending on the type of gambling that will be undertaken. If there is no age underneath the betting type listed in the table, it is because that form of gambling has not been legalized in the state.

In the sections below we will go into further detail about each form of gaming as well as how old you have to be to play. We will also do a deep dive into the history of gambling in Nebraska and let you know if there is any upcoming legal reform on the horizon.

Casino Age in Nebraska

While commercial casino gambling is illegal in Nebraska, residents are still able to enjoy casinos located on tribal lands. Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act 1988 (IGRA) states in the US are able to enter into compacts with local tribes to legalize casino gambling on tribal lands. As of 2019 Nebraska has five tribal casinos operating within state boarders governed by state/tribal compacts.

Under the tribal compacts all tribal casinos operating in Nebraska are limited to offering Class II games. Class II games encompass electronic slot machines, keno, bingo and live keno and exclude traditional casino classics such as table and card games. Under tribal compacts tribes are able to define the legal gambling age to enter their casinos, in the case of all casinos currently operating they have all adopted the same casino age of 21 in Nebraska.

It is likely that all tribes have adopted the casino entry age of 21 as this is the same as the legal drinking age in the US. As all casinos serve alcohol on their premises it makes sense that the entry age should also mirror the legal drinking age so the casinos don’t have any issues with underage drinking.

While there have been several moves in Nebraska to try and legalize commercial casino gambling, in an effort to open up the casino gambling market and have additional casinos within the state which would exist alongside tribal casinos, none of these efforts have stuck. There is certainly some support amongst the state legislature to legalize commercial casino gambling, as it has been argued it could provide over $100 million in economic stimulus each year, but it seems as if Nebraska’s traditional values are winning out at the moment and legalized commercial casino gambling could still be a way away for Nebraska.

What are The Casinos In Nebraska that accept 18 year Olds?

There are no casinos in Nebraska that accept 18 year olds, all land-based casinos operating in Nebraska limit the casino entry age to 21. As discussed above the legal casino gambling age is likely set to 21 as most casinos serve alcohol and the legal drinking age in the US is also 21.

18 year olds in Nebraska shouldn’t be disheartened though, there are still other forms of gambling 18 year olds can get involved with. The Tree Planter State allows 18 year olds to participate in bingo, charity raffles & keno as well as place pari-mutuel bets on horse racing.

For those above the age of 21 who want to gamble at one of Nebraska’s five tribal casinos, we’ve pulled together the addresses of each of these casinos below.

Sports Betting In Nebraska

Unfortunately for Nebraskan sports fans, sports betting is not yet legal in the Tall Tree State. Keeping in line with Nebraska’s conservative approach to gambling sports betting has been illegal in the state for many decades. As there is no sports betting in Nebraska there is no legal gambling age associated to it.

With the overturning of the Professional and Amateur Sporting Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018, there was some initial hope amongst Nebraska’s sports fans community that the state might legalize sports betting in some format, however the state has been very reluctant to do so. As sports betting as a whole is outlawed there is no online sports gambling either within Nebraska. For those wanting more information on online gambling, we will discuss it in detail a little further down the page.

One form of sports betting that is legal in Nebraska is pari-mutuel horse betting. Since being legalized as one of the first gambling options open to Nebraskan residents in 1935, horse betting has become hugely popular amongst the Nebraskan public, with those above the age of 18 being able to participate.

Like sports betting there is no legal way to place any pari-mutuel horse bets online, the only way is to place bets in person at one of Nebraska’s four racetracks. Alongside being able to place bets on the live races taking place at the state’s racetracks Nebraskan residents can also place bets on races that are simulcast to the racetrack after simulcast betting was made legal in 1988.

From looking into Nebraska’s recent history with gambling it doesn’t look like sports betting will be made legal at any point in the near future. However, stranger things have happened, and if there is enough noise made by the public in support of sports betting then the state legislature will be hard pressed to ignore them.

Legal Age for Nebraska Online Gambling

It comes as no surprise that all forms of online gambling are illegal in Nebraska. Unlike other neighboring states that are taking steps towards opening up their economy after the new interpretation of The Federal Wire Act 1961, Nebraska seems to be happy keeping the status quo with the only forms of legalized gambling being land-based. As there is no form of legal online gambling age in Nebraska.

While Nebraska residents might be tempted to use offshore gambling websites to either gamble at online casinos or place sports bets online, using such sites is not advised. Not only is online gambling illegal within the confines of Nebraska’s state borders and those caught doing so could be prosecuted; but none of the offshore gambling sites are licensed or regulated in the US and therefore players would not be covered by any US consumer protection laws should something go wrong.

The prospect of Nebraska opening up an online gambling industry any time soon looks pretty bleak. The state legislature is still conservative with their approach to reforming established gambling laws and there doesn’t seem to be any overwhelming groundswell of public support for online gambling to change their mindset.

While online gambling is illegal in Nebraska there are still forms of land-based gambling which residents can enjoy. To see a full list of legal forms of gambling in Nebraska take a look at gambling ages table in the top section of this page.

Poker Gambling Age

It will come as no surprise that online poker is also illegal in Nebraska. What is surprising though is that land-based poker is also illegal in the Tall Tree State. Where most states include within their state gambling legislation that ‘social card games’ not backed by the house, are legal and not considered illegal gambling, Nebraska’s does not. In fact, it is through Nebraska’s omission of ‘social card games’ in its definition of what is not considered illegal gambling that poker finds itself defined as illegal.

With poker being one of the most popular forms of gambling in the US to date coupled with the fact that it is one of the most conservative friendly forms of gambling there is it seems a bit bizarre that Nebraska would obviously avoid legalizing it. Sadly, it doesn’t look like poker will be made legal in Nebraska any time soon, so fans of the world’s most popular casino card game should visit neighboring states Kansas and Iowa to get their poker fix.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Across the US’s states Daily Fantasy Sports tends to occupy a grey area of the law, neither expressly legal nor expressly illegal. In Nebraska it occupies this grey area of law with the state not yet making a decision on its legality or illegality. Because of the ambiguous state of its legality Daily Fantasy Sports operates within Nebraska and players above the age of 18 are able to register.

As legal ambiguity is common for Daily Fantasy Sports across many US states, all the major operators including Fan Duel and Draft Kings have set up shop in the Tall Tree State and currently operate unhindered by state legislation or intervention. There have been some moves within the state to legalize Daily Fantasy Sports, in 2017 a bill was introduced proposing to legalize Daily Fantasy Sports, but this bill is yet to make it into state law. With an overall reluctance in Nebraska to embrace any form of sports gambling, it might be awhile before Nebraska takes a firm stance on Daily Fantasy Sports.

Legal Age to Play the Lottery in Nebraska

Nebraska has had a state lottery since 1993, when the Tall Tree State was the 37th state in the US to legalize one. Players must be 19 and over to participate in the state lottery. With all major lottery games including Mega Millions, Powerball and Lucky for Life present in the state, Nebraskan residents are huge fans of the state’s lottery.

The Nebraska Lottery is run by the Nebraskan government and has been managed by them since its inception in 1993. The purpose of running a state lottery was to raise funds for state funded initiatives and infrastructure. Currently any revenue raised by the state lottery is spilt between education, environmental programs, state fair and gambling recovery programs and has become an essential source of income for the state.

Like all other forms of online gambling, an online lottery is not yet available in Nebraska. Players are able to check results via the Nebraska Lottery website, but the lottery has yet to diversify to the point where tickets are also able to be purchased online. With Nebraskan’s still avid fans of the bricks and mortar gambling format it seems as if lottery players will still be purchasing their tickets in person for the near future.

Nebraska Gambling Laws & Future Outlook

Nebraska’s gambling laws are found in the state’s legislature under codes 28, 9 and 2. Under these codes gambling is defined as ‘betting something of value upon the outcome of a future event which is determined by an element of chance’. As noted before, within the wider definition of gambling there are certain exceptions made to what is gambling and what is not, within this games of skill or bona-fide business transactions are not considered gambling; but within this definition is the glaring omission of ‘social games’ under which non-house backed card games generally fall, thus meaning that games such as poker are considered illegal gambling.

All other forms of legal gambling in Nebraska are enabled by their own legislation or amendments to current legislation that state that the form of gambling is allowed as an exception to the criminal definition of gambling in the state.

The gambling market for Nebraska isn’t as healthy as other neighboring states, this can be put down to the fact that Nebraska doesn’t have a large or diverse gambling market. For example, the five state tribal casinos only made a $14 million economic footprint in 2019 compared to neighboring state Kansas whose casino market brought in $1.31 billion in economic impact in 2019.

Taxes on gambling in Nebraska are applied at an individual’s personal income tax rate. Any gambling winnings are considered personal income and should be declared on an individual’s tax return each year to then be taxed at the appropriate rate. The only exception to this rule is the state lottery, the state lottery requires that any winnings above $5,000 be taxed at a 24% federal rate as well as an additional 5% state tax.

The current outlook for gambling looks good for those who are fans of the traditional in person bricks and mortar gambling. It doesn’t look like Nebraska is keen on diversifying its gambling offering any time soon, and while there still seems to be an appetite for the state lottery and pari-mutuel horse betting within the Tall Tree State the state legislature should still be wary of gambling developments other neighboring states might be making.

Neighboring states have embraced the commercial casino industry and it is paying dividends in terms of raising revenue for the state. Further, neighbors are also embracing sports betting in all forms as another form of revenue generating gambling. So it doesn’t lose out on what could be a lucrative market share of the gambling market, Nebraska’s state legislature should be wary of remaining complacent and may need to reassess its conservative approach so it doesn’t get left behind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hopefully this page has given you a good overview of the current legal status of all popular forms of gambling in Nebraska, as well as letting you know the legal Nebraska gambling age associated to each form of legal gambling. If you still have any outstanding questions take a look at our answers to the most frequently asked questions below. To see how this state compares to others, head over to our page discussing the legal betting age by state.