Casino supporters ponder options after Nebraska petition drive fails

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Groups that want to legalize casinos at Nebraska horse racing tracks are trying to decide what to do now that a $1.4 million petition drive has failed to place the issue on the ballot.

Supporters said they were shocked to learn this month that petition circulators didn't gather enough valid signatures to put the issue before voters in the Nov. 8 general election. The 10-month petition drive flopped because nearly 42,000 signatures — more than one-third of the total collected — were declared invalid.

"We don't have a consensus on what to do just yet," said Lance Morgan, CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc., the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska's economic development corporation. "We have not formulated a definitive plan, but we do plan to continue with this."

Ho-Chunk Inc. paid virtually all of the campaign's costs in partnership with the Nebraska Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, a group that promotes horse racing. Horse racing advocates say casino games would help revive their struggling industry.

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