Folks all across the United States love an evening of entertainment with the slots or winning big against the dealer in a hand of blackjack, but a trip to the nearest casino is not always in the cards. With the advent of the internet however, plenty of online gambling sites that provide all of the action that any Las Vegas casino would, all from the comfort of a Nebraska home. Although there are a few federal laws on the books to consider, these laws only affect online gambling businesses and not the mere participants. The operation of a gambling site on U.S. soil is a target while the simple act of placing a bet is not. This means that anyone in Nebraska who wishes to win real money may do so at a legal online gambling site not bound to federal laws. On this page, we will cover the details to online gambling laws in the United States as well as the state of Nebraska.
While the federal policies in regards to gambling are clear, there is much room left for each state to formulate their own gambling regulations. The State of Nebraska is one such state to have detailed legislation within its constitution to regulate what local citizens can and cannot do in regards to Gambling. We will cover some of the more notable laws below.
28-1101 Section 4 - This is a relatively vague definition of “gambling” that can include or exclude a number of different instances of wagering. It does not have a clear penalty associated with it even though it is unlawful outside of licensed facilities.
28-1103 - Unlike being a participant in gambling, operating a business or promoting a gambling operation is a major offense in the State of Nebraska. This will most certainly bring steep fines and jail time and includes operating a sportsbook and maintaining gambling records.
28-1105.01 - Just like a mobster movie where evil henchmen follow deadbeats into alleys to collect gambling debts from poor unfortunate souls, it’s also bad in real life. This is a major offense in Nebraska and an even higher level of penalty than just operating a gambling business. Folks in Nebraska would be wise not to act like the mobsters they see in the movies.
9-510 - While gambling in the state of Nebraska is unlawful, plenty of exceptions the State provide citizens. If entering into a lawful business transaction, playing an amusement device, participating in a prize contest or being in accordance with the Nebraska Bingo Act, citizens are not in violation of the law.
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The most important thing to note in all of these federal policies is that they do not target the participants in online gambling at all, only the facilitators. In general, Nebraska residents who merely wish to gamble online are safe from prosecution so long as they avoid operating their own website.
Wire Act – The Federal Wire Act was one of the first major pieces of gambling legislation in the country with the intent to root out organized crime and corruption. This Act made the business of gambling or facilitating bets for profit on U.S. soil unlawful while leaving the simple act of placing a bet legal. The Federal Wire Act also makes it unlawful to transmit gambling information via a wire device or the internet across state lines in an attempt to compartmentalize each state’s gambling laws.
PASPA – Follows the Wire Act with similar legislation specific to sports betting. PASPA makes it unlawful for anyone to operate a sportsbook or facilitate sports bets in the United States outside of exempt locations such as Las Vegas. As is the case with the Wire Act, it does not target the average bettor and the act of placing a bet is still legal even though venues to do so are hard to come by.
UIGEA – is another important piece of federal legislation that also targets gambling operations while leaving bettors alone. This Act prohibits financial transactions by a gambling site over the internet within U.S. territory. Again, citizens are able to place a bet but there will be no domestic venue able to accept the bet.
All of these laws allow Nebraska residents to wager online if they are able to find a legal gambling site that accepts Nebraska players. Luckily, the major loophole present in each act is the simple fact that they only apply to U.S. entities. Any online gambling site that is located elsewhere is in legal operation and able to facilitate legal bets by any Cornhusker State local.
The state of Nebraska has varying age restrictions depending on the method of wagering a citizen is engaging in. For playing the state lottery, one must be 19 or older and 18 or older for a pari-mutuel wagering facility. Land-based casinos are restricted to residents aged 21 years or older but all legal online gambling sites accepting of Nebraska residents are available to everyone aged 18 years of age or older.
To summarize, legal Nebraska gambling has very few restrictions on gambling for its citizens. Folks in the Cornhusker State that are of legal age and do not engage in the business of gambling or facilitating bets for profit are able to visit licensed facilities and visit legal online gambling sites for Nebraska players located outside of federal jurisdiction. As is the case with federal laws, only the business of gambling is unlawful with clear penalties if found guilty while recreational bettors are free to wager as they wish.
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