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Secretary of State John Gale said Wednesday that a measure asking voters to approve casino gambling will not be allowed on the November ballot.
Gale said, however, that a measure asking voters to approve video keno will be allowed on the ballot.
Gale said the casino measure violates the state constitution's limit on submitting similar ballot proposals more than once in three years.
Nebraskans voted down two casino plans in November 2004 -- one touted by Las Vegas casino interests and the other by the Legislature. Even though the details of the new proposal differs from past ones, Gale considered it more of the same.
"They both open Nebraska to casino gambling," Gale said.
As for the keno measure, Gale disagreed with an opinion released earlier this week by Attorney General Jon Bruning, who said it would allow a form of gambling that is not authorized in the constitution. Bruning also said it would violate the three-year rule because, in general, it calls for expanded gambling.
Greg Lemon, chairman of the committee that led the casino petition, said his group was considering challenging the ruling in court.
"We're disappointed but not surprised," he said. "We are strongly considering going to court ... and if we do, we will file by the end of the week."
Lemon's group -- The Committee for Better Schools and More Jobs in Nebraska, Inc. -- sponsored a package of three petitions that would allow one casino in each of the state's three congressional districts.
It would earmark funds for K-12 education, horse racing and compulsive gamblers, and create a board to regulate and license casinos in the state.
Supporters of the keno initiative could not be reached for immediate comment.
The casino measure is being pushed by Boyd Gaming Inc., which owns several casinos around the nation.
Supporters of the keno measure could not be reached for immediate comment.
Pat Loontjer of the anti-gambling group Gambling With the Good Life, said her group had not yet decided on a court challenge of Gale's ruling on the keno initiative.
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