Wisconsin Readies Online Sports Betting with Tribal Operators

Wisconsin residents may soon have sports betting in their palms, courtesy of a new bipartisan legislation that is seeking to yank the state out of the pariah camp and into the welcoming family of sports betting-friendly jurisdictions across the United States.

Wisconsin Trying to Join Family of Sports Gambling States

To do away with any potential pushback, legislators are proposing that tribal casinos administer the activity, but this would come at a price. Hardly a person exists who doesn’t know about DraftKings, FanDuel, or BetMGM in the United States, but tribal casinos would be loath to split money with those platforms, focusing instead on their own proprietary options.

Yet, even then, this doesn’t mean that Wisconsin won’t do well in launching a tribal-controlled online sports betting. In fact, the state would be the first to benefit, as fresh tax revenue will be generated and directed towards important areas of public spending.

Tribal operators already have experience running things. They accept wagers in person and are willing to potentially scale this online, which could bring an even bigger windfall for everyone involved. Commercial operators appear to be a non-starter, and the state would need to change its constitution, which is usually surrounded by a fair amount of bickering between different interests.

Tribal Control of Industry Is Not a Bad Thing

For the majority of people, though, what matters is to have a gambling framework that prioritizes the realities on the ground – people are wagering on sports and online, and unless a law is passed in Wisconsin to enable this state-wide, players will simply turn to less credible and potentially dangerous platforms.

Should the bill clear all hurdles, it will allow Wisconsin residents to finally get their hands on licensed and legal sports gambling. Acquiescing to a tribal model is not necessarily a bad thing, as the tribes would benefit, as well as pay tax to the state, while boosting their own communities.

However, because of this, the Department of the Interior will have to give final approval in the matter.