Nebraska voters will likely get to weigh in on measures to legalize medical marijuana and casino gambling after advocates for both causes announced Thursday that they have enough signatures to put them on the November ballot.
The pro-gambling group Keep the Money in Nebraska announced that it will submit 475,000 signatures for its three petitions to allow casino gambling at horse-racing tracks.
One petition seeks to amend the state constitution to allow gambling, one would change state law to authorize and regulate the casinos, and the third would direct the tax revenue into a property tax credit fund and toward local governments. Organizers didn’t immediately disclose the number of signatures for each petition, but said they were confident they had enough.
The campaign is backed by Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic development arm of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, and the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, a horse-racing advocacy group.
Supporters argue that Nebraska loses hundreds of millions of dollars a year to Iowa, which has numerous casinos set up along the Nebraska border.
“It’s time to stop looking foolish and keep the money in Nebraska,” said Bob Moser, president of the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, a leading backer of the petition drive.
All of the petitions will go to the Nebraska secretary of state’s office, which will validate signatures and confirm which petition drives have qualified for the ballot. That announcement is expected in mid-August.
