LINCOLN- Nebraska voters won't have the chance to legalize online sports gambling this year after a coalition of the nation's biggest sportsbooks opted not to back a ballot initiative campaign aimed at changing the state's constitution to allow online and mobile sports betting. The petition drive was expected to cost $5-7 million.

FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and Caesars had partnered with Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic development arm of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, to commission a public opinion poll in February gauging Nebraskans' appetite for legalized online sports gambling as the coalition considered launching a petition drive to put a constitutional amendment on November's ballot.

February's poll showed that 57% of respondents signaled support for the constitutional amendment, said Lance Morgan, the CEO of Ho-Chunk, the parent company of WarHorse Gaming. "If you're at 57 (percent support), it creates some possibility that you could lose unless you really were to put substantial resources into it," Morgan said. Morgan noted that they were "late to the party" this election cycle.

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