Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and the state’s 11 tribes are continuing their push to take sports betting online.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the parties met June 1 in Madison to discuss the details of new compacts. That follows Evers’s signatures on the Wisconsin sports betting law the legislature passed earlier this year.
Evers spokeswoman Britt Cudaback told the Sentinel that “many conversations” will be needed to negotiate the new compacts.
Once Evers and the tribes agree to new compacts, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs must approve them.
Wisconsin sports betting law
Lawmakers changed the definition of a “bet” to allow bettors to place them on mobile or electronic devices.
The law follows the Florida “hub-and-spoke” model and requires the bets to be processed by a server on tribal land.
Rep. Tyler Austin first introduced the bill, AB 601, in late 2025, but lawmakers pulled it before a vote. It reemerged this year with the House discussing it until their last day of session.
Political infighting in the Senate could have derailed the legislation, but a bipartisan group of lawmakers came together during the upper chamber’s last stretch of session.
SBA wary of revenue sharing implications
The Sports Betting Alliance opposed the model set up in the legislation. The SBA includes bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel.
Under the Indian Regulatory Gaming Act, 60% of revenue must go to the tribes.
The SBA argued that stipulation will make the cost of doing business in Wisconsin too high to make business sense.
Wisconsin sports betting concerns
Prior to the legislative session, Evers had tacitly supported the expansion of Wisconsin sports betting. Once passed by the legislature, however, he expressed reservations if not all 11 tribes supported the measure. He wants all tribes to benefit as equally as possible.
“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 at the time. “An approach that exacerbates long-standing inequalities among Tribal Nations is not good for Wisconsinites or Wisconsin. I will not entertain it as governor.”
All 11 tribes eventually sent a letter in support of the legislation to Evers. According to the Sentinel, Evers reiterated his goals during the recent meeting, pushing for a joint venture model.
“As the Tribes continue to have productive conversations amongst themselves, the governor remains grateful for their collaboration and partnership, and he looks forward to meeting again with all 11 Tribal leaders to continue building consensus on a solution that does the right things for the Tribes and people across Wisconsin,” Cudaback told the publication.
Wisconsin gambling history
Tribes first entered gambling compacts in Wisconsin in the early 1990s.
Several of the tribes added in-person sports betting to their compacts in 2021.
Most other forms of gambling are illegal under the state constitution.
