The St. Croix Chippewa and Wisconsin Add Sports Betting to Compact

The Oneida Nation is already set to legalize sports betting at its tribal casinos. Soon, the St. Croix Chippewa tribe will join. Governor Tony Evers and St. Croix Chairman William Reynolds signed a gaming compact amendment on Monday that will allow the tribe to accept bets on sports and non-sports events.

Wisconsin Expanding Sports Betting Market

The amendment covers all of the tribe’s casinos and its affiliated venues.  The US Department of Interior will have to review the change and sign off on it before sports betting comes to the properties. A response must be given within 45 days but, historically, only a couple of weeks are needed.

Evers reported the news Monday, stating, “I’m grateful for Chairman Reynolds and the St. Croix Chippewa Tribal Council for their efforts to negotiate this compact. Event wagering will bring new opportunities for employment and revenue growth to the Tribe and provide a welcome boost to our recovering tourism and entertainment industries.”

After months of negotiations, the St. Croix Tribal Council accepted the change on November 30, following which it was approved by the state. Reynolds said that the tribe was following the Oneida Nation’s lead. It recently became the first Wisconsin tribe to open a legal sportsbook in the state.

St. Croix Begins Making Plans

The tribe’s Turtle Lake casino will have a new sports betting section. Reynolds confirmed that the tribe would also offer sports gambling at its two other casinos in Danbury and Hertel.

The tribe will now be able to offer wagering on professional sporting events, such as football or baseball. However, no betting on college or high schools sports will be allowed. The tribe plans to add equipment and acquire kiosks so that all equipment is operational by the Super Bowl.

Reynolds added, “We’re still working on our construction. We’re working on our policies and procedures, fine-tuning them to get ready to go.”

Reynolds said that the tribe is currently experiencing supply chain delays because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Reynolds also stated that they are still waiting on materials to make additional slots in the Turtle Lake Casino.

The new gaming compact will allow people the ability to place wagers remotely on tribal property, as well as land that’s in the trust of the federal government. Reynolds explained that only in-person bets will be accepted until they have confirmed that geo-tracking can be used to ensure the bettor is on tribal property.

Forest County Potawatomi, among the other Wisconsin tribes, is also working with Wisconsin to update its compact to offer sports betting. There’s no word on when that deal will be finalized.