Will Wisconsin legalize online sports betting?
Wisconsin lawmakers are making a push to allow for bettors to place sports wagers online via sportsbook apps and sites
Mobile sports betting has really taken off across the United States in recent years, but it's not available in every state -- even some that have legalizes sports betting. That's currently the case in Wisconsin, which allows bettors to place bets at sportsbooks that operate on tribal lands but not online via mobile sportsbook apps. That may change, however, thanks to a proposed bill in the state's House of Representatives.
Four reps recently introduced a bipartisan bill that lays the framework to allow Wisconsin residents to place legal mobile sports bets. This would still be done with tribes in mind, as it would allow bettors to place wagers anywhere in the state while sportsbook operators host servers on tribal lands. This is similar to how the state of Florida operates.
The goal, Rep. Kalan Haywood said in a press release, is to get Wisconsin more in line with other states in terms of legalized sports betting. Additionally, lawmakers believe legalizing online sports betting in Wisconsin would increase revenue for the state while also preventing illegal bets made through unregulated markets.
This would be just one step in a multi-layered process to allow Wisconsin residents to partake in legal online sports betting, with further steps like updates or additions to tribal gaming compacts and approval at the federal level also required.
Sports betting began in 2021 in Wisconsin. Gov. Tony Evers agreed to an amended compact with the Oneida Nation that allowed them to offer sports betting at casinos on their land. The first legal sportsbook in Wisconsin launched late in 2021. This was a bit different than we've seen in other states, as there wasn't any approved legislation from lawmakers in the state's House or Senate, and it also wasn't approved via voter initiative. Since then, eight other tribes have signed amended compacts to allow sports betting on their land, and nine of the state's 11 tribes offer retail sports betting at their casinos.
The tribes being so critical to sports betting in the state and the lack of any voter-approved or legislator-approved bills has made sports betting in Wisconsin a bit more complex than in other states, like Missouri, which approved sports betting via ballot initiative and will launch sports betting later this year.
Currently, Alabama, Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah have no form of legal sports betting, either through retail or online means, and it appears unlikely any of these states will approve sports betting in the near future.
