Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill legalizing online sports betting in Wisconsin after securing the support of all eleven native tribes in the state.
Gov. Tony Evers signed into law today Assembly Bill 601, a measure passed by Republican-led majorities in the Legislature that would expand sports betting options in Wisconsin by allowing tribal nations to offer online wagering.
The bill would amend state law to exclude certain event or sports wagers from the definition of a “bet” under gambling statutes. It would permit the state’s 11 federally recognized tribes to provide mobile sports betting statewide, provided servers processing the wagers are located on tribal land. The legislation authorizes Evers to reopen or amend existing gaming compacts with the tribes to implement the change.
The bill does not allow non-tribal entities, like the popular Draft Kings or FanDuel, to offer online betting in Wisconsin on their own. Supporters of the bill believe that national businesses should be forced to work or partner with a Wisconsin tribe if they want to offer their online betting services to Wisconsinites. Critics believe that forcing Draft Kings to work with a Wisconsin tribe is an outrageous political handout to the tribes and will make them tens of millions of dollars.
Evers expressed his concerns about the bill in a signing statement released Thursday.
“While I am enacting Assembly Bill 601 today, I also want to be clear about the concerns I have about
the important work that lies ahead of us,” he said. “This legislation is the beginning of a conversation, not the end of one. The real work begins today.
“Each of the 11 Tribes must now work diligently-and together-to shape the future of sports betting in Wisconsin. What I will not accept is a plan that fractures this opportunity into unequal pieces, allowing some Tribes to reap great benefits while leaving only crumbs for others. An approach that exacerbates long-standing inequalities among Tribal Nations is not good for Wisconsinites or Wisconsin. I will not entertain it as governor.”
While AB 601 passed the Republican-controlled Assembly on a voice vote, meaning there is no record of how an individual Representative actually voted on the bill, it passed the State Senate late in the session by a 21-12 vote. The Republican-controlled Senate passed the bill despite nine Republican Senators opposing the bill. In the past, such significant opposition from Republicans would have prevented a bill from receiving a vote on the floor, let alone passing such a bill on the floor with Democrat votes.
Supporters, including a coalition of eight tribes that signed a letter urging approval, said the bill would bring Wisconsin in line with 31 other states and the District of Columbia that allow online sports betting. They argued it would generate new revenue for tribes without expanding non-tribal gambling operations.
Critics are also concerned that Governor Evers will give the tribe other political considerations and financial rewards when he reopens the compacts and negotiates with the tribes. Evers has sole control over the compacts. The Legislature essentially has no role or oversight of any kind on gaming negotiations.
Back in 2003, Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, famously renegotiated the compacts to give the tribes full casino-style gaming forever in exchange for slightly greater payments to the state. In 1993, Wisconsin voters had approved restrictions on gambling expansion, including opposition to casino gambling and video poker. Doyle ignored the public’s wishes on expansion.
In recent days, Evers said he wanted to ensure all eleven tribal nations are involved in discussions and in favor of the bill. The three tribes that did not sign the support letter were the Menominee Indian Tribe, Oneida Nation and Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
