Wisconsin sports betting is heading online.
Gov. Tony Evers signed online Wisconsin sports betting into law Thursday. Evers had wavered on signing the bill before Thursday, wanting to ensure all 11 tribes were on board with the expansion of the industry.
“I share the same goal as many of the Tribal Nations—to develop and embrace a model that each Tribal Nation can participate in with dignity and pride,” Evers wrote in a statement. “I will do everything in my power to support models that address disparities rather than exacerbate them and reject models that leave some Nations with little more than they have now while others prosper and thrive.”
The tribes sent a letter Wednesday with all 11 in support of the bill which grants them exclusivity of online sports betting. The tribes first entered gambling compacts in Wisconsin in the early 1990s. Several tribes added in-person sports betting at tribal casinos in 2021.
Online sports betting can begin after the tribes renegotiate their compacts with the state.
Evers had concerns about Wisconsin sports betting
Evers signed the bill and said in a statement it is his “obligation as governor is always to respect the sovereignty of Tribal Nations in Wisconsin.”
He also said this is just the “beginning of a conversation, not the end of one.”
“What I will not accept is a plan that fractures this opportunity into unequal pieces, allowing some Tribes to reap great benefits while leaving only crumbs for others,” he wrote. “An approach that exacerbates long-standing inequalities among Tribal Nations is not good for Wisconsinites or Wisconsin. I will not entertain it as governor.”
Tribes in support of online sports betting
Prior to Wednesday, only eight of the state’s 11 tribes were in vocal in support. That caused Evers to waver on signing the bill, despite previously suggesting he would sign if passed.
Wednesday’s letter included all 11 tribes. It noted online sports betting will help “strengthen our tribal economies.”
“Our nations share a collective mission of working to strengthen tribal sovereignty, maintaining the tribal nations’ role as the primary operators and regulators of gaming in Wisconsin, and accomplishing a framework with mobile sports betting that benefits all Wisconsin tribes,” the letter reads.
Wisconsin online sportsbook landscape
Lawmakers altered the definition of a “bet” to allow them to be placed on mobile or electronic devices. It follows the “hub-and-spoke” model set up in Florida, and deems those bets have to be processed by a server on tribal land.
The model received opposition by the Sports Betting Alliance during legislative hearings. Under the Indian Regulatory Gaming Act, 60% of revenue must go to the tribes. The SBA argues that makes the cost of doing business in Wisconsin too high.
“A joint venture – with each Tribe contributing, and each Tribe benefiting in equal shares – is gaining traction in these discussions, and I strongly support pursuing this or a similar model,” Evers said.
Path to Evers’ desk
Rep. Tyler Austin introduced AB 601 in late 2025. Lawmakers pulled it before a vote in for further discussion between sessions.
The House discussed the issue up until the last day of their session in February and passed it by a unanimous voice vote.
Despite some political infighting in the Senate, a bipartisan group of lawmakers came together to pass the bill during its final stretch of the session last month.
