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Ever been to Wisconsin this time of year? It’s brutally cold. We’re talking 10 or so degrees still, even as spring rolls around.
This is bad enough, but it’s made worse if you’re a sports bettor. Why? Because Wisconsin sports betting requires you to make bets in-person. There is no option to stay home and use a popular sports betting app.
This is problematic when it’s cold and snowing, which is often in Wisconsin. Who wants to go outside, scrap the ice off the car, drive through icy conditions (which is dangerous, by the way), walk into a tribal casino, bet on sports, then take the treacherous drive home? That’s the reality in this state with retail sports betting only.
For now, at least. There’s a brand new bill floating among Wisconsin lawmakers and if it passes, it would reshape legal sports betting within state borders. Keep on reading and we’ll explain the situation!
Bill Moves Forward, But Senate Is The Real Test
We’re in the midst of the Wisconsin legislative session, and the ball is rolling on mobile betting. The proposal is called AB 601, and it just cleared the Wisconsin Assembly on a unanimous vote. Yes, you read that correctly — unanimously.
Under the proposal, Wisconsin’s 11 Native American tribes would be allowed to offer statewide mobile sports betting, so long as the bets run through servers located on tribal land. If that sounds familiar, it should. Florida uses the exact same “hub-and-spoke” model to allow online betting across the state while technically keeping the wagers on tribal property. This is more accessible than only allowing online bets if a bettor is on tribal land to begin with.
Now, notice what this proposal doesn’t say: commercial apps. That’s the likes of BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel — who would not be allowed “freely” inside the state. As it stands, only the tribes can offer betting in Wisconsin, and that stays the same with this bill. The only difference is you’d be able to place bets from your couch instead of making that icy trek to the casino parking lot.
So what’s next? Well, the hard part now because passing the Assembly was actually easy. The bill heads to the state Senate, and lawmakers there aren’t exactly rushing to embrace it. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu already admitted his caucus hasn’t spent much time on sports betting and even said he’s unsure whether the bill can actually get across the finish line. Uh oh.
Timing might also complicate things. The Assembly wrapped up its work for the year, which means the Senate would have to pass the bill exactly as written for it to move forward. No amendments or rewrites are allowed now.
If the Senate magically passes it, the bill lands on Governor Tony Evers’ desk. This part might actually be easy too. Evers has already signaled support for the idea, especially since Wisconsin tribes already hold exclusivity on sports betting through a 2021 gaming compact. The real question now is whether the Senate will play ball.
Current Bill Has Some Enemies
It’s not just the Senate that’s likely to be unfriendly to the current proposal. No, there are some other bigwigs not on board with it either.
One of those foes is the Sports Betting Alliance, which represents Bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics, and FanDuel. It’s a lobby group that’s a mouthpiece for commercial betting apps. They pushed lawmakers to rethink the tribal-only model during hearings last year. Of course, they want a piece of the pie.
But… they actually still can if the proposal passes. How? Because tribes don’t have to spin up their own betting apps. They can partner with a commercial betting app to service their casino. In fact, most will actually go that route. Now, if they do they, 60 percent of sports betting revenues would go to the tribes with this proposal.
If apps only keep 40 percent of the cut, there’s little to no incentive for them to operate. The math just ain’t mathing at that point. Some Republican lawmakers have echoed that concern, saying the state should give these commercial sportsbooks a better shake. But doing that would require a constitutional amendment, which means voters across Wisconsin would have to approve it first.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has basically acknowledged that reality already. Gambling in Wisconsin has long been tied to tribal agreements, and Vos said bluntly last year that tribal exclusivity is simply the way gambling works in the state. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
“That’s the way it is. We can’t fix that,” Vos said. “That’s why some people just have to accept where we are or at least talk about it. I have concerns about problem gambling as well, but I don’t think having it only on the internet or only in a bar or restaurant after hours makes any sense, so we have to just talk through that.”
Whether this bill lives or dies in the Senate will become clear during March. Make sure to check back with us for regular updates on the Wisconsin marketplace.
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