Wisconsin Online Sports Betting Bill AB601 Goes to Governor

The Wisconsin Legislature has passed legislation that would allow the state's federally recognized gaming tribes to accept sports bets from customers located throughout the state. These tribes are already permitted to conduct sports betting at their physical casino locations on tribal land, but AB 601 would allow them to expand their operations to mobile and online betting. The bill was sent to the desk of Governor Tony Evers (D) where it awaits his signature.

What Does AB 601 Do?

Unlike many legislative texts, AB 601 is short and sweet. All it does is amend the Wisconsin statutes such that certain activities are exempt from being considered a bet for the purposes of the state's anti-gambling laws. To be more specific, “event or sports wagers” made by people located within the borders of Wisconsin via “a mobile or other electronic device” are not illegal bets as long as the server accepting these wagers is located on tribal lands and the wagers are conducted under the auspices of an Indian gaming compact.

Therefore, the tribes that are currently allowed to accept sports bets at their physical locations will now be able to do the same with mobile and online wagers. These bets will be subject to whatever terms are specified in the relevant gaming compacts.

Current Sports Betting Market in Wisconsin

All of Wisconsin's casinos are operated by tribal gaming interests. There are some two dozen brick-and-mortar gambling halls in the state, and they are run by 11 tribes. The original gaming compacts were signed in the '90s, and over the years, these agreements have been renegotiated to allow tribes to keep their casinos open for longer hours and to offer new types of gaming.

After the landmark Supreme Court decision Murphy v. NCAA in May 2018, which opened the floodgates to sports betting expansion across the nation, it took some time for this form of wagering to appear in The Badger State. Tribal compacts had to be renegotiated first, and then a sportsbook finally opened on Nov. 30, 2021 at the Oneida Casino in Green Bay.

Since that time, other WI sportsbooks have launched, and there are now around a half dozen of them. Different casinos has set their minimum gambling ages at either 21 or 18, and presumably, these same rules will be in effect online. Under the terms of the Federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, at least 60% of the revenues generated by gaming must remain with the tribe.

AB 601 Timeline

AB 601 was introduced to the Wisconsin Assembly on Oct. 29, 2025 and was read for the first time on that same date. After passing through the Committee on State Affairs and the Committee on Rules, it proceed to a third reading where it was passed by voice vote.

The bill then proceeded to the Senate on Feb. 23, 2206 and had its first reading on Feb. 25. It went to the Committee on Senate Organization and was then voted on. On the third reading on March 17, it passed with a vote of 21-17.

AB 601 then proceeded to the desk of Governor Tony Evers (D). He has six days to sign it, veto it, or allow it to pass into law without his signature.

While Evers initially showed great support for expanded sports betting, his recent statements have been more equivocal. Governor Evers has stated that he does not wish to proceed with expanded online sports betting unless there's unanimous support from all the gaming tribes. Most of them do support the bill, but there are a handful who are opposed.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers

If Governor Evers does sign AB 601, there will still likely be a lengthy wait before the first online sportsbooks appear instate. Tribal compacts would probably need to be amended and rules drafted for this new form of sports betting. The entire process would probably take until late 2026 or 2027 to be completed, and only then might we see the first WI-licensed online sportsbooks launch.

Significant Opposition to Bill

There has been significant opposition to the online sports betting bill. In fact, a poll conducted by Marquette University Law School in February found that 64% of Wisconsin voters oppose online sports betting legalization.

Some believe that declaring bets to “not count” if they're registered on a tribal server is a weak attempt to get around the Wisconsin constitutional ban on most forms of gambling. Others cite problem gambling concerns and the difficulty of policing underage betting in the online realm.

State Senator André Jacque, who voted against AB 601, said:

When sports betting is confined to casinos it is bounded by location, by time, by effort. A person has to make a deliberate choice to go somewhere and eventually, to leave. That friction matters. It creates natural limits. This bill removes those limits.

It's not just those worried about gambling addiction who are opposed to the bill. The Sports Betting Alliance, which is comprised of well-known sportsbook operators like bet365, BetMGM, and DraftKings, dislikes the fact that commercial entities won't be able to offer online sports betting in Wisconsin unless they team up with a gaming tribe. A spokesperson for the organization stated:

It is simply not economically feasible for a commercial operator to hand over 60 percent or more of its revenue to an in-state gaming entity, just for the right to operate in the state.

Most legislators appeared to be resigned to online sports betting as a fait accompli, concluding that it's better to have the market strictly overseen by the state rather than leaving it unregulated. As State Senator Kristin Dassler-Alfheim explained:

If we’re going to have online gambling – which we are. It already exists on the edges, behind closed doors. It’s already there. And it’s already being abused by some and that’s not going to change. I would rather us put as many parameters around it as we can to take care of our consumers and keep the revenues.

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March 25, 2026 – by Max Golden, Editor-in-Chief