OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — If a recently proposed bipartisan bill passes into law, online sports betting would be legal across Wisconsin.
- Currently, you can only bet on sports on tribal lands at casinos.
- A new bipartisan bill would allow casinos to contract with third-party service providers —like DraftKings or FanDuel —and make sports betting available across the state.
- Local restaurants say the change could bring in more customers on game days.
Safari Busnelli is the general manager at Game Time Sports Bar in Oshkosh.
She says online sports betting could bring in more customers.
“We get a lot of people who come in for horse betting, so I think if they were able to bet on sports, they definitely would be more inclined to going out and being with a crowd,” Busnelli says.
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Other than horse races, you can only bet on sports at a casino. A newly proposed bipartisan bill would change that.
"This is a small change to the rule that would allow our casinos to utilize the wheel and spoke method,” Sen. Kristin Dassler-Alfheim (D), says.
Casinos, like Oneida, could contract with a third-party provider, such as DraftKings or FanDuel, to offer online sports betting statewide.
Dassler Alfheim co-wrote the bill and says online betting could bring more revenue to the state.
“This is a minor example of reaching across the aisle, saying this makes sense for Wisconsin,” she says.
Megan Howe, manager at Mr. Brews Taphouse, also says this change could be beneficial to her business.
“We have out-of-towners that get mad at us,” she says. “With the hotel being right across the street, they’re like oh I can’t bet on this team because we’re in Wisconsin… I feel like it could because they might be like Oh I need to watch this game because I put a bet on it, and we have the multiple TVs.”
The Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling says 1-3% of Wisconsinites have a gambling addiction.
“People who want to gamble will find a way to gamble, legally or illegally, we know that for a fact,” Rose Blozinski, executive director of the council, says. “We also know that when accessibility increases, that can increase the number of people who may try it, who in the past haven’t.”
The bill still needs approval from the assembly, the senate, and the governor before it can be signed into law.
“It’s kind of odd that we don’t already have this, because Wisconsin sports fans are already die-hard sports fans and it’s a really big part of our Wisconsin culture,” Busnelli says.
