The Demand for Wisconsin Online Sports Betting Appears to be Growing

While sports betting in Wisconsin has been legal for some time, the gambling infrastructure seems like it's starting to grate on residents of America's Dairyland. People are so frustrated they have taken to social media with their complaints. Their overarching message is undeniably clear: The demand for Wisconsin online sports betting is here to stay, and it's only growing.

Whether these issues from the public resonate with state officials is debatable. It certainly doesn't seem like displeasure from Wisconsinites will have an immediate impact. Over the long term, though, the hang-ups and inconveniences experienced by what has to be a chunk of the voting population have to matter.

And the relative frustration with how Wisconsin sports betting is currently set up could prove critical to the legalization of online wagering down the line.

On-Site Wisconsin Sports Betting Still Not Offering Enough Locations

When Wisconsin legalized sports betting, they only approved in-person wagering. Not only that, but legal gambling debuted with just one licensed casino location.

Access swiftly became an issue. Many bettors weren't within driving distance of the Oneida Casino Complex, which for a while housed the state's only sportsbook. This left many in Wisconsin with little to no alternatives. Some chose to drive across state lines and submit bets with other sportsbooks because making the trip actually took less time. More aggressive gamblers could pore over reviews of the top online sportsbooks and hope to find one that would let them create an account and accept their wagers. Others simply waited for Wisconsin sports betting to expand into other casinos.

This expansion took a while, but it eventually came through. Residents of Wisconsin can now place bets at any one of...three sportsbooks. That's not a whole lot. Accessibility remains an issue for many. Driving across state lines is still the more efficient option for a handful of patrons.

Although it should go without saying, there's no reason for this to be the case for a state actually offering legal sports betting. The whole goal of amending Wisconsin's gaming laws was to open a new revenue stream and keep gambling that was already taking place elsewhere inside the state. Offering so few betting options is counterintuitive to that aim. The state is inherently capping their revenue by incentivizing people to explore contingency betting options.

Wisconsin's On-Site Sportsbooks Struggling to Meet Consumer Demand

But wait! It gets worse. Wisconsin's paltry number of sportsbooks isn't the only roadblock inciting an accessibility issue. A shortage of sports betting kiosks and cashiers within these sportsbooks is creating even more obstacles.

A quick term search across various social media platforms will reveal a vast array of similar stories. These recounts read something like this: A person is waiting on line to submit a wager, but the people in front of them are asking the cashiers too many questions or taking too long at one of the kiosks, either because they don't understand the interface or are placing multiple bets. Whatever the case, people behind them will end up missing out on certain Wisconsin betting odds because the lines changes or the competition they wished to predict already started. 

Some will chalk this up to an over-dramatization of a tiny issue from social media users. Believe us, it's bigger than. Casinos are starting to take notice, and they're attempting to combat the issue.

Casinos in Wisconsin are Trying to Acquire More Sports Betting Kiosks

So far, the solution to Wisconsin's sports betting problem has been to order more kiosks. That's what the Potawatomi Casino did after their sportsbook debuted at the end of March. They were especially limited in their offerings, because they're operating out of a temporary location.

The initial opening caused a foot-traffic pileup. The casino had 15-minute parking spaces designed specifically to accommodate sports betting, but there was frequent overflow, and the transactional process typically took a lot longer due to the extensive lines.

In response, the Potawatomi Casino has 17 additional sports betting kiosks on order. They're hoping this alleviates the logjam until they finish constructing their new digs, which will feature a larger permanent sportsbook with more cashiers and betting kiosks. The two other sportsbooks in Wisconsin are expected to do the same, if they haven't already acquired additional kiosks.

This raises the question: Are more sports betting kiosks actually the answer?

Wisconsin Needs Online Sports Betting to Meet State's Gambling Demand

The Potawatomi Casino understands Wisconsin's betting kiosks are not a forever solution. Their CEO has even said online sports betting in Wisconsin is inevitable. However, with the state still trying to finish the on-site rollout, the legalization of mobile wagering has yet to register as a priority.

In the meantime, the scant few sportsbooks in Wisconsin are trying to get creative. Take the Potawatomi tribe. When they open their permanent location, they will offer a form of on-site online betting, according to Margaret Naczek of the Milwaukee Business Journal.

"Phase 3 is creating a mobile on-premise sports betting application where customers can place their bets online, but they will be geofenced, meaning they must be on Potawatomi trust land to place a bet or cash out their winnings," she writes. "Phase 4 would be to progress into a fully virtual mobile gaming application if, or as [Potawatomi CEO Dominic] Ortiz says when, the state of Wisconsin changes its constitution and allows for online sports betting. He currently estimates that could be five years down the line."

Talk about a catch-22. The demand for online Wisconsin sports betting clearly isn't going anywhere, which might prompt the state to amend their constitution. But any alterations aren't expected for at least a half-decade, a timeline that rings hollow. Until things change, Wisconsinites will simply have to hope the state at the very least adequately expands their brick-and-mortar betting operations.

Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can find one that works for all of your sports betting needs: