Wisconsin online sports betting bill beats closing deadline

A plan to take Wisconsin sports betting online is heading to the Senate after passing the Assembly on Thursday, but its fate in the upper chamber is unclear.

The Wisconsin Assembly advanced AB 601 on Thursday on a unanimous voice vote. There was no floor debate on the bill. The bill moves to the Senate, but sponsor Rep Tyler August said earlier this week during a press conference that he was unsure of its status in the chamber.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu told WisPolitics that his caucus “haven’t spent a lot of time” on sports betting. LeMahieu also said he was unsure the Assembly would send the legislation to the upper chamber.

“I think from a policy standpoint, it makes sense,” LeMahieu said. “I don’t know if we can get it across the finish line.”

The Assembly finished its business for the year on Thursday, so the Senate must pass the legislation untouched. The Senate schedules general business meeting days through March.

Should the Senate take the bill up and pass it, AB 601 will head to Governor Tony Evers, who indicated support for the tribal-exclusive sports betting proposal. Wisconsin tribes already hold exclusivity for in-person sports betting through a 2021 compact amendment.

Entering the 2026 session, Speaker Robin Vos said the chamber was working on the issue. Last week the “discussions were still ongoing” and the bill emerged on Thursday’s floor calendar on Wednesday.

What’s in Wisconsin online sports betting proposal

The bipartisan proposal emerged late in 2025 and was initially scheduled for a vote before the new year. Lawmakers pulled the bill, however, for further discussion between sessions.

The legislation alters the definition of a bet in Wisconsin to include wagers on mobile and electronic devices. It requires that the device processing the bet is on Wisconsin tribal land.

The state’s 11 tribes would be able to partner with sportsbook operators. Tribes and professional sports teams in the state support the plan.

Online expansion of gambling would require renegotiation of tribal gaming compacts. Those would also require Bureau of Indian Affairs approval.

Wisconsin sports betting opposition

The delay from last year was in part to work on concerns held by lawmakers on expanding sports betting. Some of those issues included:

• Microbetting
• Problem gambling
• Tribal exclusivity

The Sports Betting Alliance, representing Bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel, requested during a hearing last year that lawmakers reconsider tribal exclusivity. Major sportsbook operators oppose a provision in the legislation that would send 60% of revenue to tribes, which they argue does not make economic sense for them.

Some Republican lawmakers prefer to open access to commercial partners, according to the MacIver Institute. To open up to commercial operators, sports betting would require a public vote to amend the state constitution.

Last year, Vos said tribal exclusivity is a reality of gambling in Wisconsin.

“That’s the way it is. We can’t fix that,” Vos said. “That’s why some people just have to accept where we are or at least talk about it. I have concerns about problem gambling as well, but I don’t think having it only on the internet or only in a bar or restaurant after hours makes any sense, so we have to just talk through that.”

Pat Evans

Pat covers the legislation and regulation of online gambling in North and South America, having covered the US sports betting industry extensively since 2019.