Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has initiated conversations with the leaders of the state’s 11 federally recognized tribes regarding the rollout of legal online sports betting. This marks a significant progression towards the launch of mobile wagering statewide following the approval of pertinent legislation.
The discussions follow Evers’ signing of Assembly Bill 601 in April, which legalizes online sports betting in Wisconsin. However, the onset of mobile wagering statewide hinges on the renegotiation and approval of tribal gaming compacts by both the tribes and the state, along with the authorization from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Wisconsin’s gaming landscape functions under compacts with tribal nations, making tribal involvement crucial for the establishment of online betting.
Britt Cudaback, a spokesperson for Evers, mentioned, “This meeting was merely the initial step in a series of discussions necessary to advance compact negotiations between the state and the Tribes.”
As stipulated in the new law, sports bets can be placed from anywhere in Wisconsin via mobile devices, as long as the wagering transactions are processed through servers situated on tribal lands. The legislation has adopted a “hub and spoke” model, where tribal servers serve as hubs and bettors from around the state act as spokes.
Evers has encouraged the tribes to consider a joint-venture framework that would ensure equal benefits for all 11 federally recognized tribes within the new market.
“I will not support a plan that distributes this opportunity inequitably, where some tribes can secure vast advantages while others receive minimal support,” Evers stated upon signing the legislation.
“Any strategy that amplifies the existing disparities among Tribal Nations is detrimental to both Wisconsinites and the state itself. As the governor, I will not condone it,” he added.
The governor’s office has expressed its support for a structure wherein tribes contribute and gain “equal shares,” while acknowledging that tribal leadership ultimately decides what serves their communities best.
The office also emphasized that no governor can impose a particular agreement structure on the tribes.
All 11 tribes backed the legislation and urged Evers to endorse it, paving the path for negotiations regarding updated gaming compacts.
These discussions emerge as Evers prepares to leave office at the end of the year, having chosen not to seek re-election. If new agreements are not finalized before his departure, the matter may fall to Wisconsin’s next governor.
Currently, Wisconsin allows in-person sports betting at certain tribal casinos but does not facilitate statewide mobile wagering. Recent updates to tribal gaming compacts have permitted the Oneida Nation, Forest County Potawatomi, and Ho-Chunk Nation to conduct on-site sports betting.
Proponents of online betting assert that a regulated market would give consumers legal options as alternatives to offshore sportsbooks, which operate outside U.S. regulatory oversight and bypass Wisconsin’s consumer protection and responsible gaming regulations.
However, not all stakeholders support the expansion of gambling in the state. Republican U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany has voiced his opposition to broader gaming expansion in Wisconsin.
Tiffany remarked that he does not support “an expansion of gaming in Wisconsin.”
“For instance, I do not support the proposed Kenosha casino,” he added. “Hence, I believe we should refrain from expanding gaming.”
When specifically asked about the online betting legislation, Tiffany stated, “I would need to review the details further to provide a definitive answer, but I have generally opposed the expansion of gaming here in Wisconsin.”