Wisconsin Online Sports Betting Legalization on Hold

A bill to legalize Wisconsin online sports betting has officially been put on hold, and it is not clear when or if it will be revived.

The Wisconsin Assembly failed to vote on a proposal that would introduce online wagering to The Badger State. As things currently stand, sports betting in Wisconsin must be done in-person, at one of a handful of casino locations. This runs counter to current market trends.

More than seven years removed from the Supreme Court of the United States overturning the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, online sports betting in the USA now accounts for over 90 percent of all legal wagers placed. This limits the scope and scale of markets, like Wisconsin, that only allow in-person wagering. For those who do not reside near a sportsbook, they are more likely to use an offshore betting site or cross state lines to bet on sports in Iowa and Illinois.

This is why a handful of Wisconsin casinos actually support the legalization of online sports betting. Traditionally, tribal operators have opposed similar measures. They do not want to compete with corporate sportsbooks that have more resources and reach at their disposal.

In the case of the Wisconsin online sports betting proposal, though, sponsors sought to address this potential issue. How? By following Florida’s lead.

Wisconsin Online Sports Betting Bill Drew Inspiration from Florida

Despite repeated attempts at litigation, the current model for sports betting in Florida remains alive and well. Wisconsin is seeking to draw from that.

For those who may not know, Florida sports betting is exclusively provided by the Seminole Tribe. They signed a gaming compact with Governor Ron DeSantis years ago, so legalization did not require a constitutional amendment. However, the Seminole Tribe soon started offering Florida online sports betting anywhere in the state via its mobile application, run in partnership with Hard Rock Bet.

Critics argue that this violates the gaming compact and, thus, the state constitution. The Seminoles, in turn, believe that because their Florida online sports betting app is run by servers on tribal land, it is an extension of their property. This allows them to provide access to anyone inside the state.

The Wisconsin online sports betting bill mirrors this exact framework. It is a touch more complicated, since multiple tribes have sports wagering licenses. But the end goal remained the same: expanding the reach of tribal operators without forcing them to contend with industry heavyweights such as FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars, etc.

It also ensures they will not have to put the measure in front of voters during the next general election. That isn’t a deal-breaker, per se. Many believe Wisconsinans will support the legalization of online sports betting. Yet, putting it to a vote does introduce another barrier to launching operations.

Here is Why the Wisconsin Online Gambling Bill Hangs in the Balance

Given the context of the Wisconsin online sports betting initiative, it’s fair to wonder what exactly went wrong. The state already gave certain tribes the ability to offer sports betting. This proposal is merely an extension of it.

From the sounds of things, the “extension” itself is part of the problem. Legislators and organizations are worried that Wisconsin online sports betting will make gambling too accessible to the general population. And this, they believe, will lead to more issues. Consider this excerpt from a Fox 6 News in Milwaukee report:

“Opponents include the Sports Betting Alliance and the Wisconsin Catholic Conference. Sam Krebs with Wisconsin Family Action, which also opposed the bill, argued the financial and social costs are too high. ‘If you look at sports books nationwide, they report a profit of nearly $14 billion last year, so just to contextualize it, that’s $14 billion of lost income and money from people who participated in these sports wagers,’ he said. ‘There was a study out of Northwestern that found for every $1 a household spent on betting, they spent $2 less on investments or savings. ‘The social costs are many, because they can lead to things like family breakdown, lost productivity, addiction, bankruptcy.’”

Make no mistake, these concerns are fair. And they are mounting in number. More and more states are weighing the socioeconomic costs of legal sports betting now that it’s a maturing industry.

Still, we’d be remiss not to mention that Sports Betting Alliance, specifically, has other agendas. They campaign for wider-spread sports betting across the country. In other words, they represent the interests of sportsbooks and pro sports franchises who want to offer their own services in Wisconsin.

Where Does This Leave the Online Sports Gambling Bill?

This question is tough to answer at the moment. The failure to initially vote on it is not actually a death knell. It can still be revisited.

At the same time, the clock is ticking.

The Badger State has not yet finalized its 2026 legislative agenda or schedule. Rest assured, though, that will happen soon. These meetings typically take place during the first part of the year. So the longer the Wisconsin online sports betting bill goes unaddressed, the less likely it is to become a legislative focal point.

If we had to guess, this won’t be the year that the proposal makes it through. Supporters do not seem to be pushing for it as strongly as they would need to be.

Then again, because it would not require a constitutional amendment, the timeline for discussion may not be as strict. At any rate, we should know more about its fate within the next couple of months.

Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can find one that works for all of your sports betting needs: