The Wisconsin Assembly passed legislation last week that would allow tribes to offer online sports betting statewide by tying wagers to servers located on tribal land.
AB 601 now heads to the Senate for consideration. There are 11 federally recognized tribes with gaming compacts in the state which could partner with national brands for online sports betting in Wisconsin.
The measure advanced after resurfacing this session following a delay late last year, reviving debate over whether Wisconsin should expand sports betting beyond in-person wagering at tribal casinos.
There is less than a month remaining in Wisconsin’s 2026 legislative session, which ends March 19.
Political fault lines emerge
Discussions around tribal online sports betting surfaced in 2025 before being postponed between sessions.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has expressed support for allowing tribes to take sports betting online. Some Republicans, however, have raised concerns about a tribal only model and say commercial entities should also be involved according to comments cited by the Maclver Institute.
Wisconsin online sports betting will raise revenue
Online sports betting could increase tribal gaming revenue by 10% to 20% adding roughly $6 million to $12 million annually on top of the $60 million Wisconsin already collects from tribal gaming payments, Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim told WLUK-TV.
“The reality is, Wisconsin is perfectly accepting of gambling,” Dassler-Alfheim said. “We know this because we have Powerball, we have scratch-off tickets, we have casinos all over the state that are full on a regular basis. So this isn’t about trying to take anything away good or bad. We want everyone to be doing things reasonably.
“This is about having access to something that the world has decided is something that’s fun and entertaining to them, which is the online access on sporting events. So this just allows Wisconsin to catch up with the rest of the country.”
