The Wisconsin Assembly has passed a bill that would allow mobile sports wagering through the state’s tribes, sending the measure to the Senate, where its prospects remain unclear.
The proposal, approved on a unanimous voice vote, would amend the state’s definition of “bet” to permit mobile sports wagering if the bettor is physically located in Wisconsin and the sportsbook servers processing the wagers are located on federally recognized tribal land.
Gov. Tony Evers has voiced support for the plan and expressed openness to signing the measure if it reaches his desk.
The legislation mirrors Florida’s “hub-and-spoke” model, under which wagers placed on mobile devices are legally deemed to occur at servers located on tribal land. The framework was left intact after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2024 declined to hear a challenge to the sports wagering pact between Florida and the Seminole Tribe.
Under current Wisconsin law, only in-person sports betting is permitted on tribal lands. The new measure estimates it would shift hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal bets into regulated sportsbooks, stating the change “generates new revenue through tribal gaming compacts and reduces consumer risk from offshore operators.”
Wisconsin receives payments representing a portion of the net win from tribal casinos, though it does not separately report sports wagering payments. The state received more than $66 million in shared revenue payments in 2024, nearly $66 million in 2023, and nearly $57 million in 2022.
Sports wagering is now legal in 39 states, with 31 allowing mobile betting.
The bill previously faced opposition from some conservatives, national sports betting groups, and anti-gambling advocates. Groups registered in opposition include Wisconsin Family Action, Wisconsin Catholic Conference, and the Sports Betting Alliance. Supporters include the Association of Wisconsin Tourism Attractions, Forest County Potawatomi Community, Ho-Chunk Nation, Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club, and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.
During committee discussion, Rep. Robert Wittke said, “I think our citizens in Wisconsin are better served by keeping this new platform within our current gambling structure,” while pointing to testimony that a requirement that 60% of the gross revenue from mobile sports wagering under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act would be too high of a cost for top national brands such as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Fanatics and Bet365.
In the Senate, Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu has previously said he was unsure the bill had sufficient Republican support in the narrowly divided chamber, where Republicans hold an 18-15 majority. Republican Sens. Rachael Cabral-Guevara and Andre Jacque voted against the measure in committee.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/02/20/117698-wisconsin-assembly-passes-triballinked-mobile-sports-betting-bill-senate-fate-uncertain
