Wisconsin

The story of Wisconsin and sports betting is a long one, but to make a long story short, sports betting is legal in the state but only through three tribal compacts.

Wisconsin is home to some of the most famous professional sports teams in their respective leagues, and bettors in the state can freely place wagers on each one. Collegiate sports also have a big following in WI, primarily thanks to the Wisconsin Badgers, but unfortunately for in-state Badgers fans, they cannot legally place a bet on in-state colleges or universities.

While Wisconsin bettors may be limited when it comes to betting on their favorite college team, they do get the benefit of betting on entertainment events like the Oscars and also eSports events, which are two markets that can be hard to find in other states. Betting on horse racing is also fully available to bettors, but for the time being, this can be done solely online.

As far as DFS products go, Wisconsin has not legalized them, but since they are not technically prohibited either, residents do have the ability to download and utilize them. Some of the DFS operators active in The Badger State include PrizePicks, OwnersBox, Underdog, ParlayPlay, and more.

Online sports betting in The Badger State

Most states with legalized sports betting went through a legislative process, but that is not the case with Wisconsin. The ability to legally bet on sports is available in the Badger State, but that is not because a bill or proposal was signed into law, but instead because of updated state compacts with federally recognized tribes in the state.

In 2021, the Oneida Nation signed a gaming compact with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, which allowed them to become the first tribe to offer legalized sports betting in their Green Bay Casino. After the first compact was signed and approved by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, more tribes decided to get involved, and in December 2021, the St. Croix Chippewa Indians signed their gaming compact amendment with Gov. Evers.

By entering into this agreement, the St. Croix Chippewa Indians became the second tribe to offer legal sports betting at its three existing casinos. The last tribe currently able to offer legal sports betting at its casinos is the Forest County Potawatomi.

Only one of these tribes currently offers any form of online wagering, and that is the Oneida Nation. This tribe has its own mobile betting app that can only be used within the confines of its land, which includes not only its casino but also multiple truck stops, so-called Oneida One-Stops, scattered around Green Bay.

This app is the lone form of online betting that Wisconsin bettors have access to, but due to the tribal compact's wording, the lands where these stores are situated meet the criteria for online sports betting, and thus, WI bettors can use the same betting app in these locations:

• E & EE Oneida One-Stop (790 County Rd Ee, De Pere)

• Four Paths Oneida One-Stop (2597 W Mason St, Green Bay)

• Highway 54 Oneida One-Stop (W180 WI-54, Oneida)

• Larsen Oneida One-Stop (501 Packerland Dr, Green Bay)

• Packerland Oneida One-Stop (3120 Packerland Dr, Green Bay)

• Travel Center Oneida One-Stop (5939 Old Wisconsin 29, Pulaski)

• Westwind Oneida One-Stop (2370 W Mason St, Green Bay)

• Oneida West Mason Casino (2522 W Mason St, Green Bay)

Sports betting & gambling legislation in WI

Ten more tribes in Wisconsin have a gaming compact with the state, but only one plans to introduce sports betting within the next year or so. The Menominee Indian Tribe will open a casino in Kenosha through Hard Rock International, and the casino/hotel is expected to feature a sportsbook.

The specifications of where a sports bet can be placed in Wisconsin are very strict and must be kept in mind for bettors in the state. While online wagering is available, it must be done on tribal property, so mobile betting apps use geolocation verification software at all times.

Not only must a bettor be on tribal land when placing an online or retail wager on a sporting event, but they must also be at least 21 years old. The Division of Gaming in the Department of Administration enforces both the legal gambling age and the location at which legal wagers can be placed.

For a bettor to be subject to the state gambling tax, their winnings must be $5,001 or greater. If an individual’s winnings exceed that number, they will be subject to a 7.65% tax rate. Gambling winnings will only stem from a few markets in Wisconsin, as online casinos and online poker remain illegal in the state. So, sports betting, retail casinos, the lottery, and horse race betting are where most winnings will stem from.

Most recent updates from the WI sports betting scene

• May 2, 2024: The Wisconsin Badgers football team has wrapped up spring camp, and they currently have a win total set at 6.5. The Badgers are also (+8000) to win the Big Ten Conference Championship Game.

• December 6, 2023: DraftKings introduces Pick6, a peer-to-peer fantasy sports game, in six states, including Wisconsin. The app allows players to make picks on NFL and NBA contests, with more sports planned for the future and additional state rollouts.

• November 17, 2023: An 18-year-old hacker from Wisconsin pleads guilty to stealing over $600,000 from DraftKings. He obtained login and password information from over 1,600 registered users and used it to access over 60,000 accounts on the sports betting platform.

• November 13, 2023: A casino project in Kenosha, Wisconsin, moves closer to approval after the Kenosha City Council voted to give it final consideration. Twelve members strongly supported the project, with only three voting against it.

• August 22, 2023: IGT introduces sports betting to its PeakBarTop cabinets, available at St. Croix Casinos in Wisconsin. These cabinets provide a bar-style gaming experience, featuring video poker, slots, keno, and now, sports wagering options for players.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

For a while, the lone retail betting facility in Wisconsin was the Oneida Casino, but recently, the Potawatomi tribe opened their first large-scale sportsbook in their Milwaukee Casino. Other casinos, like the St. Croix Casino in Turtle Lake, have opened sports betting kiosks while preparing to open large-scale sportsbooks.

The three tribes that can offer legal sports betting are continuously working to expand their sports betting reach to the different facilities they own, so the number of retail betting locations in WI will only increase.

Sports betting in neighboring states

If Wisconsin bettors are looking for a state with fully regulated sports betting both online and in retail format, they can cross the border into three of their four neighboring states to find it. The trio of Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa provide the opportunity for bettors to gamble from the comfort of their own homes, which is something that can’t be done in WI.

Minnesota is the only state without betting options. To find out why and whether a sports betting bill is in the future, click on the state name in the box below this section.

Sports betting revenue impact on Wisconsin’s economy

Instead of sports betting licenses, the three tribes that offer sports betting can do so through the amendments in their tribal compacts with the state. With the current set-up for sports betting in WI, all three tribes that offer betting must make an annual contribution to the state for the cost of regulation for Class III Gaming. These tribes also need to make payments to the state, which are a percentage of their winnings from all games they offer. This percentage will vary based on the tribe's size and gambling operation.

Since the Wisconsin state government has very little to do with sports betting, there are no monthly reports regarding statistics like sports betting, handle, revenue, and tax income. With no real governing body for sports betting in the state and the fact that WI has made no steps to fully legalize sports betting, this lack of information regarding revenue will likely remain the case for quite some time.

We can draw comparisons to other states of equal size to Wisconsin, but these metrics may not be accurate to WI due to the limited betting market offered. For example, Wisconsin and Maryland are very similar in terms of estimated population. Still, Maryland offers retail and mobile sports betting, so they’ve seen over $7 billion in handle and $835 million in sports betting revenue. With how Wisconsin’s landscape is set up, it is hard to imagine their numbers are anywhere close to Maryland’s.