Wisconsin is just one signature away from legalising online sports betting, potentially becoming the first U.S. state to approve new betting legislation since Missouri in late 2024.
Yesterday, Assembly Bill 601 cleared the state Senate by 21-12, just moments before “sine die”, and the closure of Wisconsin’s regular legislative session for the year. The bill now sits on Governor Tony Evers’ (D) desk, with his signature representing the final hurdle.
AB 601 is a bipartisan bill that will allow residents to place bets online or through mobile devices statewide, provided those wagers are processed by servers located on tribal land.
And that’s the clincher–at least for the commercial industry–it’s a tribal-only sports betting bill in line with the state’s constitution, which prohibits most forms of gambling outside of tribal lands.
This mirrors Florida’s hub-and-spoke model.
Under the bill, a minimum of 60 percent of revenues will remain with tribal operators. The state will also receive a share. The precise revenue split will be decided later in updates to existing tribal compacts.
Wisconsin is an upper-Midwest state, home to around six million, making it the 20th largest state by population.
The state has tribal compacts with Wisconsin’s 11 federally recognised tribes, dating back to the early 1990s, granting them sovereignty over gambling in exchange for revenue kickbacks. There are 26 tribal casinos in the state.
Recent amendments to those agreements, negotiated by Governor Evers, have already allowed the state’s Oneida Nation, Forest County Potawatomi and Ho-Chunk Nation to roll out on-site sports betting at tribal casinos.
And Governor Evers has previously indicated he would likely sign the bill if it secured bipartisan backing and tribal support – both of which are now firmly in place.
Development Funding
Wisconsin’s tribes have rallied behind the bill, seeing it as both an economic driver and a source of development funding.
Chairwoman Nicole Boyd of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa said: “By allowing a legal framework for mobile sports wagering through Wisconsin’s tribes, the state will see increased revenue through the state gaming compacts and consumers will have the legal protection needed to ensure they receive fair play.”
Kyle WhiteEagle, Ho-Chunk Nation legislator, added: “Giving tribes in Wisconsin the right to conduct mobile sports betting isn’t going to solve [problems like poverty and addiction] completely, but it will help significantly and ensure funding is directed where it is most needed.”
Pushback
But strong opposition has also come from major sports betting companies, including DraftKings, FanDuel, and the U.S. operator trade body, the Sports Betting Alliance.
A recent poll conducted by Marquette University of 818 registered voters also suggests limited public support for legal online sports betting, with 64 percent opposed compared with 34 percent in favour.
But the final decision now rests with Governor Evers.
Will he sign or kill the bill?
Under Wisconsin rules, the governor has six days to approve or veto new legislation, meaning he has five left on the countdown timer.
