The flurry of prospective new US legal sports betting jurisdictions can add another name to the pile. In a somewhat surprising move Thursday, Wisconsin threw its hat into the legal sports betting ring with an announcement of a new gaming compact that was signed between Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and the Oneida Nation.
Thanks to the new deal, the state of Wisconsin could welcome a new retail-only sports betting platform this fall, just in time for kickoff of sports betting’s bread-and-butter NFL season.
“This is a historic day for our state and will serve as a major milestone for our state’s partnership with the Oneida nation for generations to come,” Governor Evers commented during the compact signing ceremony Thursday.
What Is on the Table
Details are sparse at this point in time as to exactly what a potential Wisconsin sports betting scene will look like. But we know that it will consist of retail sports betting at Oneida casinos and “limited mobile betting” that under the law will have to take place on tribal lands.
The law reads that betting would only be permitted on land “owned by the tribe or held in trust for the tribe by the federal government that contains a commercial building owned or leased.”
Betting would be allowed on the usual menu of sports including professional football, basketball, hockey, baseball and soccer. Betting would be permitted on collegiate sports excluding Wisconsin-based University teams. That takes one of the most prestigious programs in the country, the Wisconsin Badgers out of the running for any legal wagering.
Governor Evers, in a press conference also mentioned that entertainment events such as the Academy Awards would be included in the potential platform.
More Dominoes to Fall
The negotiated compact between Governor Evers and the Oneida Nation will all be for not if the US Department of the Interior doesn’t approve the compact amendments. They have weighed in on a number of other jurisdictions’ attempts to rewrite compacts with sports betting included and have returned all favorable rulings so far, usually faster than the allotted 45-day period.
So far, it is just the Oneida Tribe that has been included in the Wisconsin plan to launch its own sports betting platform. It is widely accepted that other tribes could follow in order to take advantage of the potential revenue streams a Wisconsin legal sports betting platform could provide.
Rumors of other tribes looking at amending their compacts to allow for their own sports betting platform were all but confirmed by Department of Administration spokesperson Olivia Hwang.
Where and When
There hasn’t been a whole lot of clarity as to where the Oneida retail locations will open up. There is a general sense that the Oneida Casino in Green Bay could be the first location to open up a sportsbook. Some renovation will have to be done and done quickly in order to reach the tribes’ target date for opening.
About that opening date. Hopes for the Wisconsin legal sports betting scene are that they are up-and-running by the start of the upcoming NFL season which kicks off September 9. The NFL is far and away the biggest generator of bets in the US market and both the tribes and regulators will want to take advantage of the league.
Stopping Cross-State Betting
There is an added urgency for Wisconsin to get their legal sports betting platform up and running. All of their neighboring states plus Canada have their own successful and lucrative platforms or are in the process of legalization. Michigan, Illinois and Iowa will definitely be in a position to soak up Wisconsin betting dollars if a platform isn’t launched soon.
Canada is also in the process of legalizing a sports betting platform, meaning that without a plan in place, Wisconsin had a chance to be the only jurisdiction in the region without their own platform.
No Shortage of Benefits
The 22 states plus Washington DC markets that currently exist within the US legal sports betting scene have demonstrated just how beneficial legalization can be.
All are keeping gambling dollars at home instead of in the hands of black-market, overseas operators, all are offering their citizens a chance to bet on their favorite teams and all are reaping the benefits of tax dollars flowing into needy state and local coffers.
“I’m grateful to Chairman Hill and the Oneida General Tribal Council for their partnership on this historic compact amendment,” Governor Evers said. “The Oneida Casino is a critical source of revenue and employment for Oneida Nation and this expansion will bring new opportunities for employment and revenue growth to the Tribe.”
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