Sportsbook Options Growing for Wisconsin Sports Bettors

Sportsbook Openings Expected to Continue

Sportsbook openings are expected to continue this year, with the Potawatomi tribe expected to open a venue as part of their casino/hotel complex in Milwaukee. The state’s decision to clear the way for legal sportsbooks is clearly welcome. But the opening of brick-and-mortar venues remains limited to tribal lands, with no plans in the works for the licensing of sportsbooks on a wide scale across the state. And while the Oneida Casino has already gone live with a sportsbook app, its use remains restricted to tribal lands.

The Wisconsin legislature has taken a go-slow approach since the United States Supreme Court paved the way for legal online sports betting in the USA by striking down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in May 2018, which prohibited sports gambling in almost all 50 US states.

Wisconsin’s go-slow approach has tested the patience of the state’s sports bettors, who have no shortage of local teams on which to place wagers. In addition to the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin is home to a number of professional sports teams.

Wisconsin a Sports Hub

The Milwaukee Bucks currently reign as NBA champions and are joined in the Beer Capital of the World by the Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers and the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL). Whistling Straits has established itself as one of the best golf courses in America and has played host to such events like the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup. And racing fans have long made pilgrimages to Madison International Speedway and Milwaukee Mile to take in NASCAR action.

Wisconsin has also established a reputation as one of the most important college sports states in the union. The University of Wisconsin Badgers is among the biggest names in NCAA football, basketball, and hockey. Marquette University is also a perennial contender to appear at March Madness.

Badger State Bettors Relying on Offshore Sportsbooks

While Wisconsin sports bettors must remain patient in their desire to see the legalization of sports betting apps, and the opening of brick-and-mortar sportsbooks in major cities across the state, they still enjoy plenty of options. Savvy sports bettors across the state have been making use of mobile apps from offshore sportsbooks for several years, a trend that is expected to continue. And while Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) apps remain illegal in the state, their widespread use remains tolerated by lawmakers.

Wisconsin residents who don’t live on or near tribal lands also enjoy the option to make the short drive to neighboring states to get in on the action. Just an hour south of Milwaukee, across the state line in Illinois, the sports betting industry is undergoing rapid expansion. Several brick-and-mortar venues have opened their doors and have been supported by the launch of legal mobile apps from top industry brands like PointsBet and BetRivers.

The news is good for Wisconsin residents living near the state line with Iowa, where over a dozen brick-and-mortar sportsbooks are now open for business, including a FanDuel Sportsbook located just across the Mississippi River in Asbury, Iowa.

See below the top sportsbooks, like Bovada, where you can wager online and choose the best one for you: