MADISON, WI – Wisconsin lawmakers are pushing to finally bring mobile sports betting to the Badger State with a new bill, LRB-4723/1, that would create a legal betting framework similar to the successful Tribal-exclusive model currently operating in Florida.
Introduced by a bipartisan coalition, including Representative Kalan Haywood (D-Milwaukee) and Representative Tyler August (R-Walworth), the legislation is seen as a crucial move to modernize Wisconsin’s gaming landscape and tackle the unregulated offshore market.
"This legislation is an important step to bring Wisconsin in alignment with the majority of the country in regards to sports wagering," Haywood stated. "For too long, illegal, offshore entities have profited from consumers through unregulated sports wagering, without generating revenue for local economies."
The Tribal-Centric Proposal
The bill's core mechanism is designed to satisfy the complexities of Native American gaming law. It proposes amending existing state-Tribal compacts to allow online sportsbook servers to be physically located on federally recognized Tribal lands across Wisconsin. This is key, as it would permit residents to place bets from anywhere in the state—mobile wagering would be essentially funneled through the Tribe’s land-based servers.
This setup is a direct nod to the blueprint used in the Sunshine State, where Hard Rock Bet operates as the exclusive online provider through the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s gaming compact. Proponents hope this arrangement will generate fresh revenue streams for the state, local municipalities, and the Tribes.
Currently, Wisconsin is a betting outlier. State law technically considers placing a bet a Class B misdemeanor, though the state has allowed retail (in-person) wagering since the Oneida Casino in Green Bay launched the first Tribal sportsbook after amending its compact in July 2021. Nine of the state’s eleven Tribes now have retail sports betting in their compacts.The state collected a respectable $66 million in shared gambling revenue in 2024 from its existing casino and retail betting operations. Backers of LRB-4723/1 believe a fully operational mobile market could unlock millions more in tax revenue, which Haywood says can be "invested into our communities."
While the bipartisan sponsorship suggests strong legislative momentum, the bill still faces significant hurdles before residents can download a legal sportsbook app. Any change to the state-Tribal compacts will require final approval from the U.S. Department of the Interior. The bill's success would finally get Wisconsin off the sideline and into the booming mobile sports betting industry.
