Wisconsin Sports Betting
Legal Wisconsin sports betting began in 2021 after tribal gaming operators began renegotiating their gaming compacts with the state to authorize retail sportsbooks at casinos. Multiple Wisconsin sportsbooks are open to the public today, and more will follow suit soon.
Currently, legal sports betting in Wisconsin is limited to bets placed in-person at authorized casinos. Lawmakers will need to pass additional legislation to legalize online sportsbooks.
Other legal Wisconsin online betting options include daily fantasy sports apps and horse racing betting sites. Additionally, fans in southern Wisconsin can head to Iowa, Illinois, or Michigan to place sports wagers online via licensed mobile betting apps.
In-person gambling options consist of tribal casinos, the state lottery, and charitable gaming.
Legal Wisconsin Betting Sites
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The amount of the first deposit will determine the amount of the bonus and bets that must be placed to earn the bonus. For example, to qualify for the maximum bonus of $150 an initial deposit of $150 is required and total bets must equal $150 or more within 30 days of sign up. Cancelled wagers and refunded wagers are not eligible and will not be counted towards the promotion.
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How Wisconsin Legalized Sports Betting
Sports betting in Wisconsin was legalized in mid-2021 via amendments to states gaming compact with the Oneida Nation.
The amendments cleared the tribe to install retail sportsbooks in Wisconsin on tribal land and accept mobile wagers from patrons physically located on casino property. Sportsbooks may accept wagers on amateur and collegiate events, excluding games involving Wisconsin colleges.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) approved the amended gaming compact, and Wisconsin’s first retail sportsbook opened in November 2021 at the Oneida Casino in Green Bay.
The St. Croix Chippewa Indians signed a similar agreement in the final days of 2021 to offer retail sports betting at their casinos. The Potawatomi Nation and Sokaogon Chippewa Community have also signed amended gaming compacts with the state to open sportsbooks.
Wisconsin Sportsbook Locations
Wisconsin is home to several retail sportsbooks now, and more are on the way. Multiple tribal gaming operators have signed amended gaming agreements with the state to offer sports betting on tribal property.
Soon, Wisconsin will be home to a competitive land-based sports betting industry. However, online sports betting in Wisconsin will remain limited to patrons physically located on casino grounds until Wisconsin legalizes statewide online wagering.
- Oneida Casino Sportsbook
- The Book at St. Croix Turtle Lake
- The Red Zone at St. Croix Danbury
- Potawatomi Casino Sportsbook
- Gametime Sportsbook at Mole Lake Casino (coming soon)
- Sevenwinds Casino Sportsbook (gaming compact signed; waiting for sportsbook)
The Sportsbook at Oneida Casino
The Oneida Nation took the state’s first legal sports wager near the end of 2021 at Oneida Casino.
The sportsbook at Oneida Casino features 20 self-serve kiosks, a staffed betting window, couch seating, and plenty of TVs.
Sportsbook Hours
- Betting Kiosks open daily from 8 AM to 4 AM
- Monday-Thursday: 10 AM – 11 PM
- Friday-Sunday: 10 AM – 12 AM
- Packers Home Game Days: 9 AM – 12 AM
In addition, bettors can use the Oneida Sportsbook app to place wagers while physically present at the following Oneida properties:
- IMAC Casino in Green Bay
- W. Mason Casino in Green Bay
- HWY 54 One-Stop in Oneida
- Four Paths One-Stop in Green Bay
- Westwind One-Stop in Green Bay
- Packerland Casino One-Stop in Green Bay
- HWY 29 Travel Center Casino in Pulaski
- Oneida One-Stop E & EE in Oneida
- Larsen One-Stop in Green Bay
St. Croix Turtle Lake Sportsbook
“The Book” at St. Croix Casino Turtle Lake is open daily from 7 AM to 3 AM and features a full food and drink menu until 10 PM every day. The St. Croix sportsbook hosts regular watch parties for major events, with drink specials and other perks on offer.
St. Croix Danbury Sportsbook
The Red Zone at St. Croix Casino Danbury offers in-person wagering and dining every day from 3 PM to 11 PM. Red Zone guests can place their wagers at four self-serve betting kiosks and watch the games on any of seven HD TVs.
Potawatomi Casino Sportsbook – Milwaukee
The Potawatomi sportsbook brought sports betting to Milwaukee when it launched in a temporary area inside the casino while the property completes construction of a permanent facility.
Bettors in Milwaukee can visit the sportsbook at Potawatomi Casino 24 hours a day to place wagers via 17 self-serve betting kiosks. The permanent sportsbook will replace the Northern Lights Theater and provide staffed teller windows, a full-service bar, LED TVs, and more.
The Potawatomi Nation secured rights to offer sports betting at its casinos in Milwaukee and Carter by signing a new gaming compact with the governor in February 2022. However, the Potawatomi Nation hasn’t announced what plans it has for sports betting at its Carter property.
Potawatomi Sportsbook Hours
- Self-serve sports betting kiosks open 24/7
When Will Other Wisconsin Tribes Open Sportsbooks?
Wisconsin’s 11 gaming tribes have individual compacts with the state and need to negotiate sports betting agreements individually. But this negotiation won’t start from square one every time.
In Wisconsin, the last compact agreement becomes the new normal for everyone that follows. As such, every tribe can amend its contract with the state, and while they can negotiate for more than the Oneidas (in-state college sports, for example), the state cannot offer them less.
The St. Croix Chippewa were quick to jump on the opportunity and quickly launched two sportsbooks at their properties.
The Sokaogon Chippewa Community also has an agreement in place with the state to operate a retail sportsbook at its Mole Lake Casino.
The Ho-Chunk Nation also says it also plans to launch retail sportsbooks at multiple properties if it can renegotiate its gaming compact. The Ho-Chunk Nation operates six casinos in Wisconsin.
The 11 gaming tribes and links to their current gaming compacts can be found below:
- Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
- Forest County Potawatomi Community of Wisconsin
- Ho-Chunk Nation
- Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
- Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
- Menominee Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin?
- Oneida Nation
- Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
- Sokaogon Chippewa Community (Mole Lake Chippewa)
- St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
- Stockbridge-Munsee Band – Mohican Nation
Wisconsin Sports Betting Apps
Mobile sports betting in Wisconsin is limited to on-premises betting apps. Oneida Casino launched the first online sports betting app in Wisconsin, but it is only available to customers physically present on casino property.
The path to full-fledged, statewide, legal online sports betting in Wisconsin is complicated for two reasons.
First, as a report from the Legislative Reference Bureau notes, Article IV, Section 24 of the Wisconsin Constitution prohibits the legislature from legalizing new forms of gambling. As a result, legalizing online sports betting in Wisconsin requires a constitutional amendment.
Amending the constitution to authorize online sportsbooks in Wisconsin would involve approving a bill in the Assembly and Senate across two consecutive legislative sessions. After that, voters would need to approve the amendment via a statewide referendum.
Something else lawmakers must consider is that amending Constitution and not giving tribes exclusivity over sports betting would free them of their obligations to make exclusivity payments to the state. In normal years, those payments tend to total more than $30 million per year.
As a result, tribal considerations will significantly determine how Wisconsin legalizes sports betting apps and online sportsbooks.
Wisconsin Daily Fantasy Sports
$100 Deposit BonusPrizePicks Promo Code: BUSAAll major daily fantasy sports sites operate in Wisconsin, but the state has never passed legislation to regulate DFS contests. Wisconsin daily fantasy sports sites exist in a legal grey area as a result, but some have operated for over a decade without any issue. That means fans have access to a wide range of fantasy sports apps in Wisconsin and may play for real money without any legal concerns.
Fans can read more about the current state of the Wisconsin fantasy sports market and see BettingUSA’s most recommended DFS apps below:
Wisconsin Horse Racing Betting
$200 Deposit BonusTwinSpires Offer Code: BET200Five parimutuel race tracks operated throughout Wisconsin at one point, but all five closed one by one with the Dairyland Greyhound Park being the last one to close at the end of 2009. However, online horse racing betting in Wisconsin is alive and well.
Wisconsin Online Horse Racing Betting
Wisconsin law is unclear on the legality of advance deposit wagering. State statutes do not specifically authorize online horse racing betting in Wisconsin, but neither do they prohibit it.
As a result, some horse racing betting sites accept customers from Wisconsin and others do not. Wisconsin has so far taken no action against operators that offer horse betting in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Gambling Laws
Wisconsin gambling laws consist of a broad definition of gambling. Chapter 945 of the state’s statutes defines a bet as:
“a bargain in which the parties agree that, dependent upon chance even though accompanied by some skill, one stands to win or lose something of value specified in the agreement.”
This definition could be applied to all conceivable forms of gambling due to chance being inherent in even the most skill-heavy games. However, the statute and other laws provide explicit exceptions to the definition. These exceptions include fantasy sports betting, parimutuel wagering, charity bingo, raffles, regulated lotteries, authorized tribal casinos, and commodity exchanges.
Whether or not this definition of gambling in Wisconsin includes poker is still up for debate. A good argument could be made that because poker includes the use of cards drawn at random, it includes an element of chance and is therefore illegal. The counterargument would be that all games and sporting events include some element of chance but skill is the only determinant of winners and losers over the long term.
Furthermore, anyone who places a bet commits a Class B misdemeanor punishable by a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Wisconsin also considers it an offense to participate in the “business” of gambling. This is defined as a Class I felony punishable by a maximum of 3 ½ years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Wisconsin Sports Betting FAQ
Wes Burns has more than a decade’s worth of experience as a writer, researcher and analyst in the legal gambling industry and is co-founder of BettingUSA.com. As a former professional online poker player, Wes approaches his work from the viewpoint of players.