Nebraska Poker - Poker Laws in Nebraska - Home Poker

Is Playing Poker Legal In Nebraska?

Nebraska has a myriad of gambling offenses, which largely keep the state closed to legal gambling with only a few exceptions. Without including obscure defenses you may be able to use in court, it seems that poker is illegal in Nebraska. To get all the details, or to learn about some possible loopholes, read on as we go through the state’s gambling laws.

You can find out which poker sites accept players from Nebraska by visiting our USA poker sites page.

Does Nebraska Allow Home Poker Games?

Nebraska has too many gambling laws to name here, but they span from “promoting gambling” to “possession of gambling records”. The important thing to realize here, is that the state is largely targeting the people who host gambling games. These laws were written to snuff out organized crime, but the still apply to anyone who hosts a home game, and even the players can be held accountable.

There are two ways you could be charged as a player. By wagering money, you will be guilty of “Promoting Gambling” but the amount of money determines the severity. If you bet less than $300 in a single day, then you will be prosecuted in the third degree, which is a Class II Misdemeanor. If you wagered $300 or more in a single day, then you will be charged in the second degree, which is a Class I misdemeanor assuming you don’t have any prior convictions.

Whether or not the police are really sniffing out friendly home poker games is debatable, but the law is not. Home poker games are illegal under every circumstance; whether the host is profiting or not. The only situation where a home poker game would be legal in Nebraska is a situation where nobody is playing for real money.

Does Nebraska Have Casinos or Card Rooms?

Nebraska has one or two small gambling establishments, but they are a far cry from being real casinos. They don’t have race tracks or table games or slot machines or any of the major pastimes that constitute a full-fledged casino. Instead, these “casinos” have bingo games, and toned down, Class III digital gaming machines.

Poker games are almost completely out of the question for the residents of Nebraska, but there may be some loopholes for charitable organizations. They are allowed to host lotteries/raffles, bingo games, and some other types of gambling. Check with your local legislature for more information.

Is Online Poker Legal in Nebraska?

Nebraska hasn’t made any serious changes to it’s gambling laws in quite some time so it should not come as a surprise that this stat has not mentioned any restrictions against online gambling. As always, there is the concern that the old-fashioned laws could still govern your online poker games, but this is probably unfounded. Considering that the state hasn’t even bothered to make a addition to the penal code, it seems unlikely that the would invest the resources to track down and monitor poker players over the internet. This could even be seen as a privacy rights violation, and you shouldn’t expect it in the near future.