Sports betting via Internet and mobile applications has become a massive industry in the US. While it is still not authorized in the state of Nebraska, many residents of the state are already betting online, or at least, trying.
GeoComply Solutions, a geolocation services provider that serves the sports betting industry by making sure that wagering operators and their customers are in line with legislative restrictions in the state, shared there have been about 64,000 mobile sports betting user accounts in Nebraska so far in 2023. Of course, this does not mean that 64,000 local people have accounts. On the other hand, one user may have multiple online and mobile sportsbook accounts.
This data makes proponents of online sports betting claim there is a potential demand for online sports betting services that Nebraska could take advantage of. According to the CEO of the WarHorse Gaming’s parent company, Lance Morgan, the potential for sports betting is much bigger if the service is offered in the form of a mobile app.
So-called geolocation checks are recorded at various stages of users’ engagement with a legal sports betting service, including registering an account, logging into that account, and placing wagers. GeoComply revealed that, in the period from January 1st, to October 30th, the company processed almost 2.9 million geolocation checks situated in the state of Nebraska that accessed legal mobile sports wagering services in other US states. The company revealed that its technology blocked such customers from betting.
Nebraska Features Only Legal In-Person Sports Betting Services
The senior vice president of government and public affairs at GeoComply, John Pappas, explained that Nebraska was currently surrounded by legal betting options offered by its neighboring states.
After in 2018 the US Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports betting across the country by striking down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), an increasing number of states started authorizing the new form of gambling to take advantage of the multiple opportunities associated with it. This applies to Nebraska’s neighboring states, too. Currently, border states where mobile sports betting services are legal are found attractive by many residents of Nebraska.
According to data provided by GeoCompy, about 79% of the attempts were accessing legal sportsbook apps in Iowa. Another 8% of Nebraskans’ attempts were aimed at legal sports betting apps in Pennsylvania, followed by 6% in Colorado and 3% in the state of Kansas.
Although in-person sports betting officially kicked off in Nebraska on June 22nd, online and mobile sports betting is still illegal in Nebraska but local residents are given the chance to legally open an online sports betting account in some other states and even deposit some money into it. They, however, are not able to load money into a betting account if they are in Nebraska.
GeoComply reported 7,804 border crossings between the beginning of the National Football League (NFL) season on September 7th and October 30th.
