Wisconsin’s online sports betting will not start immediately after Gov. Tony Evers signed the measure Thursday, according to the Associated Press, which reported that the law’s rollout depends on new negotiations with the state’s 11 federally recognized tribes.
In signing the bill, Evers made Wisconsin the 33rd state to legalize online sports betting, but he also set expectations that the legal start would likely take “months or maybe even longer,” as the state works out terms with the tribes that would run the betting.
Under Wisconsin’s current approach to gambling, betting is legal only on tribal lands under exclusive contracts between tribes and the state, and sports bets can be placed only at certain tribal casinos. The AP reported that the online betting that the new law would allow is conditioned on additional requirements, including where the technology supporting wagers is located.
The bill signed by Evers would permit online sports betting only if the infrastructure used to manage bets—such as computer servers—is located on tribal lands in Wisconsin. The approach mirrors a “hub-and-spoke” model already in use in Florida, the AP reported.
Evers said he would not accept an implementation plan that treats any one tribe better than another. In a statement, he said, “The real work begins today,” adding that “Each of the 11 Tribes must now work diligently-and together-to shape the future of sports betting in Wisconsin.” He also said, “An approach that exacerbates long-standing inequalities among Tribal Nations is not good for Wisconsinites or Wisconsin. I will not entertain it as governor.”
Evers also described the bill as a way to direct resources to public health priorities. The AP reported that he said the law represented a chance “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.”
A key part of the negotiations will be the financial terms under which tribal gaming revenues are shared. Under existing tribal compacts, the AP reported, a portion of money earned by tribes through gambling is returned to the state; in 2024, the tribes paid the state just over $66 million from revenue generated at casinos.
Supporters of the measure include several Wisconsin tribes and the Milwaukee Brewers, the AP reported. They said people already place bets through offshore sportsbooks or prediction markets or by crossing into other states where betting is legal, including neighboring Illinois.
The sports betting industry’s pushback came from the Sports Betting Alliance, which the AP said represents FanDuel, DraftKings, bet365, BetMGM and Fanatics. The group opposed the law, arguing that partnering with Wisconsin tribes would not make financial sense because federal law requires 60% of gambling revenues to go back to the tribes, and it said companies would prefer a state constitutional amendment that would open sports betting to all operators.
Evers has said he would sign the bill if it had support from all 11 federally recognized tribes, but he later raised concerns because not every tribe had been on board. On Thursday, the AP reported that Evers said all 11 tribes are now in active negotiations about how to implement the online betting law.
Across the U.S., regulated sports betting has continued to grow alongside state expansion, the AP reported, citing American Gaming Association figures. The AP said state-regulated sportsbooks handled nearly $167 billion of bets last year, generating revenues of nearly $17 billion after winnings were paid out to customers, which it said marked an almost 23% increase over the previous year.