Wisconsin Legalizes Online Sports Betting

In a historic moment in the state's history, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed Assembly Bill 601. By doing so, he officially gave state residents access to mobile sports betting to start somewhere in the near future. With the bill's signing, Wisconsin becomes the 33rd state to legalize online sports betting. The bill will officially be recorded as Wisconsin Act 247.

Bill Details

As usual, the devil is in the details. Under the new law, the state will be required to negotiate new gaming compacts with each of the tribes. Collectively, the tribes will ultimately get exclusive rights to operate the online sports betting platforms. With that in mind, Evers is insisting on equality between the tribes with no single tribe gaining favor.

To the press, he stated:

“The real work begins today,” Evers said in a statement. “Each of the 11 tribes must now work diligently — and together — to shape the future of sports betting in Wisconsin. … An approach that exacerbates long-standing inequalities among tribal nations is not good for Wisconsinites or Wisconsin. I will not entertain it as governor.”

What does that mean for residents? Experts anticipate negotiations taking a few months, if not longer. Meanwhile, residents will still be able to place their sports bets in person at select tribal casinos/kiosks.

The Hub-and-Spoke Model

As previously reported, the law requires that Tribes follow the hub-and-spoke model, the same one used by the Seminole Tribe in Florida. The model requires that all legal wagers must pass through computer servers and infrastructure that are physically located on Indian land. That ensures that revenue s kept within the state. Currently, the state's online sports bettors are travelling to Illinois or using offshore accounts, costing the state tens of millions in revenue.

There is a counterargument coming from the Sports Betting Alliance, a group that represents leading online sports betting platforms like bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, Fanatics, and FanDuel. At the core of the group's objection is a federal mandate that at least 60% of related revenue has to go to tribal concerns. That makes it difficult for the professional bookmakers to make a reasonable profit. The group will continue pressing for federal lawmakers to change the law, basically opening up the marketplace to all comers.

Setting Revenue Expectations

In 2025, the American Gaming Association reported that state-regulated sportsbooks collectively handled nearly $167 billion in sports bets in 2025. That generated $17 billion in revenue, an amazing hold rate of just over 10%. The number represents a 23% increase over the revenue reported in 2024.

For Wisconsin, the potential for revenue is quite significant. In 202, the state was able to collect $66 million in general gaming revenue for the state's tribal nation. BY capturing revenue from offshore and other states, things become quite appealing.

As for how funds will be used, Evers offered this:

“This bill also represents an opportunity for revenue paid into the state to support mental health programs and to combat the opioid crisis, two issues that I know plague both tribal nations and communities across our state.”