Online sports betting could soon be legal in Wisconsin through a new bill passed by the state legislature, which awaits signature by Gov. Tony Evers. The bill passed with bipartisan support in the state Senate Wednesday, with 12 Democrats and nine Republicans voting in favor, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The bill revises the definition of what it means to “bet” under the state Constitution to allow bets to be placed anywhere in the state via mobile devices, as long as the server processing the bet is on tribal land, according to the bill.
Under the state Constitution, most gambling is illegal in Wisconsin with exceptions for bets placed on sovereign tribal lands within the state borders, according to the bill. As it stands today, sports bets may be placed at a casino on tribal land, but not through an app elsewhere in the state, according to the bill.
The new design for sports betting in Wisconsin proposed under the bill uses a “Hub and Spoke” model, with the “hub” being a server on tribal land and the “spoke” being the individual placing an online bet, according to MJS. This model has been used in a 2021 pact between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe, according to the Florida Phoenix.
In February, Chairwoman Nicole Boyd of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians expressed support for the legislation in the 2026 State of the Tribes address, according to Wisconsin Eye.
“By allowing a legal framework for mobile sports wagering through Wisconsin’s Tribes, the state will see increased revenue through the state gaming compacts,” Boyd said during the address. “Consumers will have the legal protection needed to ensure they receive fair play.”
Senior Vice President of Milwaukee Brewers Communications Tyler Barnes said in an email statement that the team is in favor of the bill.
“We are supportive of the legislation to legalize mobile sports betting in Wisconsin and encouraged by the legislature’s bipartisan support in moving the Bill forward,” Barnes said in the statement.
The legislation has faced pushback from national gambling authorities, accusing the state Assembly of “backroom dealing,” according to WisPolitics.
Despite bipartisan support in the Wisconsin Legislature, nine Republicans and three Democrats are against the legalization of mobile sports betting in the state under the bill. Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, was one of the Democrats who voted against the bill Tuesday.
“He [Larson] believes that the addictive nature of gambling, the ubiquity of mobile devices, and the difficulty in ensuring that those using betting apps remotely are of age are highly problematic,” communications director for the office of Sen. Larson Justin Bielinski said in an email.
Public support for the bill may be lacking, according to a recent report published by the Marquette University Law School in February.
The poll found that 64% of Wisconsin voters oppose legalizing online sports betting, while 34% support it, according to Marquette University.
