Oneida Casino sports betting, Feb. 10, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Until last week, if you wanted to place an online sports bet, you had to come to casino or tribal land.
Not anymore.
Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill into law to legalize online sports betting anywhere in the state. But, the app just has to be administered by one of Wisconsin’s 11 tribes.
“It’s an opportunity for additional revenue from the tribes but for the gaming compacts,” said Oneida Nation Tribal Secretary Lisa Liggins. “[It provides] additional revenue for the state of Wisconsin as well.”
The Oneida Casino has had a sports betting app for some time, but you can’t place bets on it unless you’re on tribal grounds. But that doesn’t necessarily you mean you won’t see FanDuel or DraftKings in Wisconsin. The tribes could contract with them for their software. However, the tribes would receive a cut as the ones “administering” the bets.
“Now the tribal nations will need to work together with the state of Wisconsin to work on the compacts and what the contracts will be to then move forward and actually engage the program,” said State Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim, D-Appleton, who co-authored the bill last fall.
The bill received mixed bipartisan support when passing through the State Assembly and State Senate.
Evers said after signing the bill, “Each of the 11 Tribes must now work diligently and together to shape the future of sports betting in Wisconsin. 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.”
Dassler-Alfheim cited illegal online sports gambling already happening in Wisconsin.
“It is something that is taking place in spite of it not being legal in Wisconsin, I don’t like that,” said Dassler-Alfheim. “I think putting some consumer protections around it to the best of our ability is a good idea.”
But even if the law is settled, it doesn’t mean the moral debate is.
“Even if something is happening illegally, we should not provide legal means to do something that is harmful,” said Daniel Degner, president of Wisconsin Family Action. Wisconsin Family Action is an action group that seeks to advance Judeo-Christian principles. It lobbied against the bill.
It’s estimated to provide $6 to $12 million a year to the state.
“We believe that government should not be profiting off of the backs of those that are being preyed upon,” said Degner.
“At the end of the day, the goal is to keep those revenues in the state of Wisconsin and expand economic growth not only for the tribes but for the whole state,” said Liggins of the Oneida Nation.
The bill takes effect immediately, but you won’t be able to place bets until the tribes work out an agreement. It’s unclear when that might happen.
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