Nebraska's Online Gambling Laws 2025

The arresting officer will give you a misdemeanor offense in any illegal gambling activity within the state of Nebraska. The misdemeanors have 7 classes.

• A class 1 misdemeanor in Nebraska is the most severe and can result in up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $1000.
• A class 2 misdemeanor, possession of a gambling device, for example, can get you up to 6 months in jail and/or a $1000 fine as well.
• Class 3 misdemeanor maximums are 6 months in jail and $500 fine, class 3a misdemeanors, up to 7 days in jail with a $500 fine.
• Class 4 misdemeanors are simply a fine with a minimum a $100 and a maximum of $500.
• Class 5 misdemeanors are punishable by only a fine up to $100.
• Finally, class W misdemeanors are used solely in DUI cases and are punishable by up to 60 days in jail and between $500-$1000 in fines.

Nebraska has both commercial and tribal casinos with one tribal compact in the state. There are lotteries and legal venues for pari-mutuel gambling. Private citizens are legally allowed to practice social gambling, and the state makes room for charitable gambling as well.

There are also properly regulated offshore gambling websites online that are legal for citizens of Nebraska to patronize. You will find recommendations throughout this site for legally sanctioned online gambling sites.

A tribal-state compact is an agreement under certain conditions between a Native American tribe and the state to conduct gambling games legally and to share part of the revenues. Tribal compacts are necessary under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 for all class III gaming establishments.

The minimum required age for gambling in the state of Nebraska for lotteries is 19 (this is not a typo, Nebraska is weird). For casino gambling, it is 21.

A common exception made by most states in the country to allow private citizens to host private games of poker in their own houses for social value only. In these games, the host cannot make any profit other than that of his winnings in the game itself. All of the participants must have a bona fide social relationship and no one can rake the pot.

This is the common term to describe horse track gambling. Pari-Mutuel gambling is a system of placing bets where the bettors are largely betting against each other, rather than the house. Bettors place their bets into a communal pot, make their picks and wait for the outcomes. Those who have chosen wisely will divide the bets up among the winners based on the bets they took.

Charitable gambling is another common exemption made to state gambling laws for charitable organizations to use gambling games like raffles and bingo to raise funds for their social programs. Charitable organizations are a non-profit organization for the betterment of society. Organizations like veteran’s houses, churches, schools, and police and firemen host charity drives.