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 can freely place wagers on each. Collegiate sports also have a big following in Wisconsin, primarily thanks to the Wisconsin Badgers. Still, unfortunately, in-state Badgers fans 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 benefit from betting on entertainment events like the Oscars and eSports events, 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.

Wisconsin has not legalized DFS products, but residents can download and utilize them since they are not technically prohibited. Some 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. However, that is not because a bill or proposal was signed into law but because of updated state compacts with federally recognized tribes.

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. 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, including its casino and 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. Still, 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 for where a sports bet can be placed in Wisconsin are stringent and must be kept in mind by bettors in the state. While online wagering is available, it must be done on tribal property, so mobile betting apps always use geolocation verification software.

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 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. 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

• January 13, 2025: After suffering a 22-10 loss to the Eagles, the Green Bay Packers have been eliminated from the NFL playoffs.

• January 6, 2025: The Green Bay Packers will head to Philadelphia for the first round of the playoffs. GB is (+4.5) point underdogs for the matchup.

• January 2, 2025: With a playoff spot locked up, the Green Bay Packers are (+800) to win the NFC and (+1600) to win the Super Bowl heading into the final week of the regular season.

• December 27, 2024: With two regular season games remaining, the Green Bay Packers are set to head to Minnesota in week 17 to play the Vikings as (+1.5) point underdogs.

• December 16, 2024: Playing in the second-ever NBA Cup Finals, the Milwaukee Bucks are listed as (+4.5) point underdogs to the OKC Thunder.

• December 13, 2024: The Packers will travel to Seattle this weekend where they are (-2.5) point road favorites.

• December 6, 2024: With their loss to the Lions, the Green Bay Packers are now (+850) to win the NFC and (+1700) to win the Super Bowl.

• November 18, 2024: In Wisconsin and 42 other states, Legendz Social Casino & Sportsbook platform debuts with props, parlays, and high RTP. Free play and daily bonuses make it an attractive option for players 18+.

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 legalize sports betting fully, 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 $11 billion of placed real-money wagers, leading to more than $1.2 billion in sportsbooks' revenue and over $128 million in tax income for the state.

With how Wisconsin's landscape is currently set up, it is hard to imagine their numbers are anywhere close to Maryland's. However, with a complete update on the gambling legislation, and especially a more liberal online wagering market, WI could draw a great tax revenue stream from such activity annually.