Casinos in Nebraska
Nebraska used to be one of the few states that prohibited all forms of gambling, but thankfully the state has become more gambling-friendly over the past few years. The current regulations allow Nebraska residents to wager on games of chance in state-licensed casinos, but it’s worth remembering that the state is still fairly strict when it comes to punishing people who take part in illegal gambling activities. Other than that, Nebraska offers pari-mutuel betting on the outcome of local horse races, as well as state-run online lottery games.
Nebraska Gambling Laws
Gambling in Nebraska is covered by Sections 9-625, 9-629 and 9-701 of Nebraska Revised Statutes. Individual players who engage in illegal gambling are usually able to get off with nothing more than a fine, which depends on the amount of money they wagered. However, gambling operators who offer their games without the appropriate license face felony charges and a long prison term.
Nebraska regulations aren’t very clear when it comes to online gambling, but it would be theoretically possible to charge online players with using an illegal gambling device. While the current regulations are relatively strict, Nebraska law enforcement isn’t very enthusiastic about enforcing them, which means that individual gamblers are rarely actually punished – in fact, no online casino customers have been prosecuted so far.
Online Casinos
As mentioned above, Nebraska doesn’t have any regulated casino sites. Consequently, Nebraska-based online gambling enthusiasts have to register with offshore casinos in order to pursue their hobby, which isn’t all that bad since most of those sites offer better bonuses and promotions than the local businesses operating in i-gaming-friendly states like Nevada or Delaware.
Joining the action at an offshore site means that you become a part of a massive, international player pool. This allows you to compete for higher progressive jackpots while giving you access to a wide range of casino games and possibly some additional content, which may range from casino tournaments to exclusive slots that you won’t find on any other site.
Offshore Casino Sites That Accept Nebraska Players
Nebraska isn’t considered to be a high-risk state by most offshore casino operators, which means that most US-facing sites are more than likely to accept Nebraska-based players. The vast majority of those sites is powered by Real Time Gaming casino software due to the fact that both Playtech and Microgaming refuse to cooperate with companies that accept American players. Fortunately, that doesn’t Nebraska players are stuck with a second-class product. Quite the contrary, RTG sites are well known for giving you access to some of the top online slots, video poker machines and table games available in the industry right now – the only shortcoming they share is the lack of live dealer casino support.
Offshore casino sites are forced to rely on a limited number of banking methods when dealing with USA online casinos, which means that Nebraska residents usually cover their gambling expenses via credit card payments. While this method isn’t 100% reliable, Visa cards generally have the highest acceptance rate, while MasterCard and American Express tend to get refused. Alternatively, Nebraska players can fund their on-site accounts using Western Union/MoneyGram money orders. Withdrawals are usually handled using a standard bank wire transfer, but many casinos give you the option to request a cash out via a check by courier.
Developing Legal Scenarios
Nebraska isn’t likely to regulate online casino gambling in the foreseeable future. Despite the recent improvements, the local gambling regulations are still very strict and any change would require a massive overhaul of the current statutes. Furthermore, the state has been historically opposed to most forms of gambling, so it should come as no surprise that the local lawmakers aren’t really thrilled about allowing online gambling operators to offer their products to Nebraska citizens.
