Bipartisan Bill to Legalize Online Sports Betting in Wisconsin Facing Opposition

Wednesday, March 4th, 2026 -- 9:00 AM

(Joe Schulz, Wisconsin Public Radio) A bipartisan bill to legalize online sports betting in Wisconsin is facing opposition from high-profile companies offering online sports gambling.

The legislation would allow Wisconsinites to place a sports bet via a cell phone or computer if the server used to host the wager is physically located on the state’s federally recognized tribal lands.

Currently, sports betting is only legal at tribal casinos in Wisconsin. If the bill becomes law, Wisconsin tribes interested in offering online sports betting “would need to renegotiate” their gaming compacts with the state.

And those compacts would need to be approved by the federal government, according to testimony from Sen. Howard L. Marklein, R-Spring Green. The bill passed the state Assembly on a voice vote without debate last month.

It’s unclear if the bill will receive a vote in the state Senate. The proposal is supported by several of Wisconsin tribes, including the Forest County Potawatomi and the Ho-Chunk Nation.

But it’s opposed by some of the biggest names in the online sports betting industry, like DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM because of the power it would give tribes over online gambling in the state.

During the State of the Tribes Address last month, Chair Nicole Boyd of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians said Wisconsin residents spend an estimated “hundreds of millions of dollars” each year on illegal and unregulated sports betting.

She said the entities offering the products used for sports betting are located outside the state and provide no financial benefit to Wisconsin. She argued the platforms provide “little to no legal protection” for the people using them, leaving them open to fraud and consumer harm.

“By allowing a legal framework for mobile sports wagering through Wisconsin’s tribes, the state will see increased revenue through the state gaming compacts, and consumers will have the legal protection needed to ensure they receive fair play,” Boyd said.

The Sports Betting Alliance, a national trade association for online sportsbook operators, held a press conference about the bill on Monday. Sports Betting Alliance President Joe Maloney said the bill would give tribes an unfair monopoly over online sports betting in Wisconsin.

“The consumer sees a number of benefits in any competitive marketplace, and (that’s) certainly not exclusive to online sports wagering,” he said. The Sports Betting Alliance also testified against the bill in November, saying it would require providers to give at least 60 percent of revenues to the tribes. Nearly two-thirds of Wisconsin voters oppose legalizing online sports betting in the state.

According to a new Marquette Law School poll, 64 percent of state voters oppose it, including 61 percent of Republicans and 66 percent of Democrats.

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