Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has officially set the wheels in motion for statewide mobile sports wagering in the Badger State.
Evers signed Assembly Bill 601 into law on Thursday, a week after it was sent to his desk following passage by the state legislature.
- Tony Evers signed Assembly Bill 601 into law, which will allow for Native American tribes to pursue statewide mobile sports betting in Wisconsin.
- Tribes must renegotiate compacts and obtain federal approval before launch, so the timeline for online betting remains uncertain.
- All 11 tribes in the state ultimately backed the bill, while major operators like DraftKings and FanDuel opposed it due to revenue-sharing concerns.
The bill would make a small but significant tweak to Wisconsin sports betting law, helping to pave the way for Native American tribes to offer statewide mobile wagering.
Some of those tribes already offer legal sports betting at their casinos and on their lands, but A.B. 601 would make statewide online wagering a possibility as well.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has signed Assembly Bill 601 into law, the legislation that will help pave the way for Native American tribes to offer statewide online sports betting.
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) April 9, 2026
However, it's clear the gov. has concerns and wants to see the wealth shared among the tribes. pic.twitter.com/1zFN8Lje9z
However, while Evers signed the bill, he made it clear he has concerns. The governor also expressed a desire for all tribes to get a fair share of the new revenue stream.
“This legislation is the beginning of a conversation, not the end of one,” Evers wrote in his formal signing statement. “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.”
Evers said the tribes have already begun these talks “in earnest,” and that he was pleased to see “more equitable models for sharing the risks and rewards of mobile gaming emerging.”
“A joint venture – with each Tribe contributing, and each Tribe benefiting in equal shares – is gaining traction in these discussions, and I strongly support pursuing this or a similar model,” Evers wrote.
Wisconsin mobile betting bill update: All of the state's gaming tribes today issued a letter asking Gov. Tony Evers to sign a bill that would allow them to offer mobile sports betting in the state; Evers has reportedly sought unanimous tribal support before taking action
— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) April 9, 2026
There is indeed more work to do before statewide online sports betting can launch in Wisconsin via the tribes.
To make it a reality, the tribes would need to renegotiate their gambling-related agreements with the state, and then those compacts would need to be approved by the federal government before the online sportsbooks could launch. That makes the exact launch date of statewide online sports betting in Wisconsin still to be determined.
There was also some uncertainty around whether Evers would sign A.B. 601 at all. The governor had voiced concerns about not all tribes being supportive of the measure.
On Wednesday, though, all of Wisconsin's 11 federally recognized tribes sent a letter to Evers “respectfully” asking that he sign the bill into law.
“This legislation was approved with bipartisan support and has our support,” the tribes wrote.
A group that is less supportive of the proposed model for mobile wagering in Wisconsin are the major online sports betting brands, such as DraftKings and FanDuel.
Too intense
Because the state is choosing to go the federal compact route, the majority of revenue generated from online sports betting in the state would have to stay with the tribes. That, the operators have warned, would probably keep them on the sidelines in Wisconsin.
“Online sports betting is a low margin, capital intensive business,” a lobbyist for the major operators warned in written testimony to Wisconsin lawmakers. “It is simply not economically feasible for a commercial operator to hand over 60% or more of its revenue to an in-state gaming entity, just for the right to operate in the state. That’s why Wisconsin adults would not be able to use national brands they see advertised on national TV under this bill.”
Despite the proposed model for statewide mobile sports wagering, as well as the opposition from major operators, there is arguably statewide online sports betting happening in Wisconsin already. It just takes place with companies based offshore, or via federally regulated prediction markets.
The preexisting betting was one of the reasons why lawmakers wanted to take action now as opposed to later.
“Based on some of the data that we've seen, this is an activity that's not declining,” Republican Sen. Howard Marklein told a Senate committee last year. “It's increasing. And I think that it's appropriate for us to deal with this now, before it gets even bigger.”
More to come.
