Wisconsin Looks at Sports Betting for 2026

It has become clear that Wisconsin sports-betting enthusiasts can't be stopped. If they can't legally bet on sporting events in their beloved states, they are more than happy to use offshore sites or take drives to neighboring states like Iowa and Illinois. Aware of this, some Wisconsin lawmakers feel it's time to quit letting potential tax dollars leave the state.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) isready to do something about this. In a recent interview, he stated that he expects Wisconsin lawmakers to take up a vote in 2026 on a bipartisan bill that would effectively legalize retail and or online sports betting. While there is uncertainty about support for such a bill in the Senate, he expressed confidence that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers would most likely sign such a bill into law if it were to make it to his desk.

Vos is confident that residents want access to regulated sports betting platforms. He told the press:

“If we’re going to have it in Wisconsin, it can be regulated more transparently. But I do think there are legitimate concerns, and that’s why we’re trying to look at and address everybody’s situation. I do believe in the end we’ll have a vote on the floor, but we just have to work through some of the concerns that people have.”

Before anything gets passed, two specific issues would need to be addressed. First, sports betting proponents would have to come to the table with a plan for dealing with possible problem gambling issues.

Second, the legislature would have to get approval for such activities from a very powerful Wisconsin Tribal community. Current state law prohibits most forms of gambling that would violate Tribal rights to control the gambling access, rights that were established by gaming compacts that were signed in the 1990s.

Note: Some Tribes are currently authorized to accept in-person sports bets through Tribal retail casinos. Nothing is yet in place regarding online sports betting. Under a preliminary proposal, servers processing wagers would need to be physically located on Tribal land.

Prominent Sports Betting Providers Question the Viability of Current Proposal

Having seen the current proposal being passed through the House, officials at DraftKings and FanDuel have expressed concerns about the viability of the proposal as it stands now.

The key point of contention is a clause that would give the Tribes a 60% cut of the sports betting net revenue. That's an unworkable number in the minds of sports betting operators that would have to support the infrastructure and do most of the work. Given the politics of Wisconsin, Vos believes this is a real concern.

As for the constitutionality of such a law, that too would have to be addressed. That concern has been brought to the table by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty.

Indeed, there is much work to be done before Wisconsin residents will get access to legalized sports betting. However, the notion that it might happen in 2026 is closer than some folks might realize.