Erica Ayisi
PBS Wisconsin+ ICT

MADISON, Wisconsin — An online sports betting bill with bipartisan support is at a legislative standstill. Even the Indian Gaming Association is closely watching it.

The governor is due to receive the bill this week and has six days to either sign the online sports betting bill into law or veto it.

The bill passed the state assembly in late February and in March the bill passed in the Senate with 12 Democrats and nine Republicans voting in favor of the bill. That earned enough votes for the legislation to be presented to Gov. Tony Evers.

The bill would allow online sports betting to take place anywhere in the state through a “hub and spoke” model that’s wagered through servers on tribal lands.

In a March 16 letter to the governor, 8 of the 11 federally recognized tribes urged Gov. Evers to sign the bill into law. Menominee, Oneida and Lac Du Flambeau tribal nations were not represented in the letter. The governor had previously expressed he wanted unanimous support from all tribes for him to sign the bill into law.

“Our nations share a collective mission of working to strengthen tribal sovereignty, maintaining the tribal nations’ role as the primary operators and regulators of gaming in Wisconsin, and accomplishing a framework with mobile sports betting that Benefits all Wisconsin tribes,” the letter stated.

Menominee, Oneida and Lac Du Flambeau tribal officials did not return PBS Wisconsin + ICT’s request for a comment.

Self-service kiosks for on-site sports bets operate 24/7 at Potawatomi Casino. Credit: PBS Wisconsin

Currently the law states that retail sports betting is allowed inside casinos on tribal lands. But online sports betting and all gambling that’s not on sovereign tribal lands in Wisconsin is illegal.

Dominic Ortiz, chief executive officer of Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee says if the bill passes, it would be a great opportunity for tribes to keep online gaming revenue funds in the state.

“We don’t want to sit back for another year or two or three and not have the opportunity to engage Wisconsin and keep these benefits here,” he said. “We’re only giving a leg up and sending money out of the state if we don’t allow us and get in front of this and bring this market to fruition.”

But as of Tuesday, at least eight tribes are betting on the governor to pass the online sports betting bill.

This is a developing story. Stay updated at ictnews.org and pbswisconsin.org.

This report is in partnership with PBS Wisconsin.

The post Most Wisconsin tribes want the governor to pass the online gaming bill appeared first on ICT.

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