At least two petition campaigns — video keno and the three-casino plan — appear headed to victory as the campaigns head toward the July 7 deadline.

The petition groups also report raising about $2.5 million for the petition signature efforts, according to reports to the state.

Advocates for allowing Nebraskans to play keno on video machines have enough signatures (at least 80,500) to get that state law change on the November ballot, according to Steve Willey, president of Papillion Keno Inc.

And a spokesman for the petitions that would allow three casinos in Nebraska — one in each congressional district — said that the constitutional petition drive is close to success.

“We will probably have an announcement later in the week,” said Greg Lemon, spokesman for the three-casino petition drive.

Boyd Gaming Corporation, the Las Vegas Casino company backing the three-casino plan, has provided more than $1.2 million for the signature-gathering process, according to reports to the state.

“I would say with those numbers, they have an excellent chance of getting enough signatures,” said Secretary of State John Gale.

However another gambling proposal likely will fail. The three Nebraska tribes likely will not gather the 115,000 signatures required to get their constitutional amendment for expanded gambling on the ballot.

The tribes announced in late June that they were abandoning efforts to use paid circulators on that petition drive.

But getting enough signatures isn’t the final step for the gambling proposals.

The gambling issues may violate a state constitutional provision that prohibits submitting a similar ballot proposal more than once in three years.

In 2004, Nebraska voters rejected several ballot proposals that would have allowed casino gambling in the state.

Gale said he expects to provide his opinion on the three-year ban next week, if it appears that any of the gambling petitions have enough signatures to get on the ballot.

Gale’s decision is likely to be appealed to Nebraska’s highest court either way — either by the pro-gambling groups if he rules that the question cannot be on the ballot or by the anti-gambling group if he rules the issue can be on the November ballot.

In addition, the video keno proposal has another snag. Allowing video ken would require a constitutional amendment, not just a state law change, said Jonathan Krutz, a board member for Gambling with the Good Life, the anti-gambling coalition.

Former Attorney General Don Stenberg told the Legislature that the constitution would have to be changed to allow video keno, he said.

“These are slot machines. And you can’t have slot machines under our constitution. You can’t just change the statute to allow that,” Krutz said.

Gale said he has already received legal briefs on the three-year ban by the major players in the gambling arena.

The petition groups have spent most of the $2.5 million collected so far on paid circulators who collect signatures from registered voters, according to the June reports from the petition campaigns.

But one group, Nebraskans for the Good Life, has spent much of its its money on advertising, phone banks and other services to encourage people not to sign the spending lid petition.

Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com.

What they’ve raised

From June petition campaign reports showing contributions through June 25:

Humane care

The so-called “Terri Schiavo amendment” would make it illegal for a hospital or other institution to withhold food or water from an individual, unless that person had expressly made their wishes known in advance through a legal document.

* Nebraskans for Humane Care has raised $355,000, all of it from a group with a Boise, Idaho, address called America at its Best.

Spending limit

A constitutional amendment for a specific limit on state spending.

* Stop Over Spending Nebraska has raised $381,915 in support of the petition, all from America at its Best, which also has an affiliation with the national group, Americans for Limited Government.

* The opposing group, Nebraskans for the Good Life, raised $66,456, primarily from the League of Nebraska Municipalities and Nebraska State Education Association PAC.

Tribal casinos

A constitutional amendment that would allow tribes to operate one casino outside the tribal land.

* Supporters raised $356,679, much of it from another tribe, Fort McDowell Yavapai nation

Video keno

A state law change that would allow keno parlors to offer an electronic version of the game.

* Nebraskans for Video Lottery has raised $192,231 primarily from Nebraska keno businesses.

Three casinos

Three petitions that together would allow up to three casinos in Nebraska and provide for the regulation of the gambling and distribution of profits.

* Supporters have raised $1,195,106, all from Boyd Gaming Corporation.

Rural schools

Two petitions, including a constitutional amendment requiring approval of school district voters before a district can be dissolved or merged, and a state law re-establishing the elementary-only school districts dissolved on June 15.

* A June campaign report has not arrived at the state Accountability and Disclosure office.

Circulators can be banned from private property

Private property owners can prohibit petition circulators from standing on their property, according to Attorney Gen. Jon Bruning in a news release clarifying where petition circulators can operate.

A recent court order allows circulators to work on public property and public walkways, Bruning said.

But the First Amendment right to express views only applies to public property.

Private property owners have the right to restrict who comes on their property, Bruning said.

Teen circulators criticized

Young teenagers are reportedly going door-to-door in Omaha and at Omaha-area events, circulating the spending lid petitions, according to Nebraskans for the Good Life, a coalition of statewide organizations opposing the state spending lid petition.

Two people were filing complaints with the Nebraska Department of Labor Monday, requesting that SOS Nebraska be investigated for hiring children to circulate petitions in violation of state and federal child labor laws, according to a news release from Nebraskans for the Good Life.

Some teenagers, who are circulating the Humane Care petition, are also getting signatures on the Stop Over Spending petition, according to Mike Groene, an SOS spokesman.

These teenagers are accompanied by their parents and their first priority is the Humane Care petition, Groene said. Often called the Terri Schiavo amendment, it would make it illegal for institutions to withhold food or water at the end of life unless the person had made their will known through a legal document.

Groene criticized the anti-SOS group’s focus on the circulators.

“A person has to ask themselves, why this attack on the messenger. It must mean they don’t have an argument on the message,” he said.

Teenagers can be paid to solicit signatures, he noted.