He waited until almost the final moment, but ultimately, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers opted to cast his vote in favor of online sports betting in the state.
Thursday was the last day for Evers to either veto Assembly Bill 601 or sign it into law, and late in the day, following much hesitation, Evers elected to sign the bill. His concern, he suggested in a written statement announcing the legalization of the bill, was that all of Wisconsin’s tribes work together to ensure that online sports betting is beneficial to each of them.
In signing the bill, Evers also urged the state’s 11 native tribes to come up with a unified plan in which they will all share in the online sports betting revenue evenly.
Evers wrote that his “obligation as Governor is always to respect the sovereignty of Tribal Nations in Wisconsin,” the
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
reported.
“Most importantly, this means respecting every Tribal Nation's right to do what is best for its people. I do so today as I always promised I would, but I am not without reservations about signing this bill.
"This legislation is the beginning of a conversation, not the end of one. The real work begins today. 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.
"An approach that exacerbates long-standing inequalities among Tribal Nations is not good for Wisconsinites or Wisconsin. I will not entertain it as Governor."
A letter signed by all 11 of Wisconsin’s tribes was sent to Evers earlier in the day, urging him to sign the bill into law.
Here’s how Wisconsin sports betting will work
Wisconsin’s state constitution makes almost every form of gambling illegal unless it takes place on sovereign tribal land within state lines. In essence, this new law won’t change that at all.
Wisconsin has offered retail sports betting since 2021, but all bets must be placed on site at the state’s tribal casinos. Under the new law, all online and mobile sports betting will be funneled through servers that are located on tribal land. As long as the person placing the wager is situated within the boundaries of the state, the bet will be considered to be legal.
The system is known as a hub-and-spoke model. A similar set-up operates online sports betting in Florida. All of the servers in the state are located on land controlled by the Seminole Tribe.
Implementing this plan did not sit well with the major U.S. online sports betting sites. They were especially opposed to the plan that would see 60% of all sports betting revenue going to Wisconsin’s tribes.
The prominent sports betting sites, through the lobby group the Sports Betting Alliance, expressed that this model wouldn’t make it economically feasible to operate in Wisconsin.
No specific date has been set for the launch of online sports betting in Wisconsin. Wisconsin will be the 33rd state to offer online sports betting.
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