As the NCAA men's basketball tournament tipped off today, two state lawmakers are proposing legislation that would legalize office pool gambling in Wisconsin.
"The real March Madness is that Wisconsin continues to criminalize one of the rites of spring," said Sen. Jeff Plale, D-South Milwaukee, in a statement.
"Changing this legislation will put one in the win column for sports fans all over the state," added Plale, who has introduced similar legislation in the past.
Apart from certain exceptions, gambling under current law in Wisconsin is a class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000, imprisonment not exceeding 90 days, or both.
Lt. Dan Bolch of the Dane County Sheriff's Office said most gambling investigations are initiated upon complaint.
"We do investigate gambling — whether that involves office pools or not, I don't know," Bolch said. "If we get a complaint, we'll look into it."
In his 14 years as an officer, Bolch said he has never received a complaint on office pool gambling. Any prosecution of the gambling violation would be at discretion of the county district attorney.
"This legislation is a slam dunk," said bill co-author state Rep. Josh Zepnick, D-Milwaukee, in a pun-loaded statement Tuesday. "Wisconsinites who throw five or ten dollars into the pot and fill out an NCAA bracket are not expanding gambling — they are simply proudly showing their support for the home team."
The proposed legislation would legalize office pools for such supporting events as the NCAA tournament and the Superbowl.
Senate President Fred Risser, D-Madison, one of the Legislature's most fervent critics of gambling, said he could guess his final opinion on the legislation, but added he would rather wait to see the introduced draft.
"I am opposed to legaliz[ing] gambling," Risser said. "When it comes out, I'd be happy to read it over and comment about it."
Unfortunately for those hoping to evade an illegal bet on the University of Wisconsin this year, the Senate is not scheduled to reconvene until April 15 — 13 days after the championship game.
Plale and Zepnick were both in Washington, D.C., Wednesday and unavailable for comment.
