DraftKings is Entering the Wisconsin Sports Betting Market

DraftKings is officially joining the Wisconsin sports betting market. But not necessarily in the capacity you would think.

Let’s get out in front of the potential confusion first. This news does not mean online sports betting in Wisconsin has been legalized or is about to be legalized. The timeline for legal online sports betting in The Badger State remains uncertain.

Instead, DraftKings has agreed to a partnership with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, who operate the Lake of the Torches Resort Casino in Northern Wisconsin. The deal will allow DraftKings to open a retail Wisconsin sportsbook inside the casino. It also puts them on the state’s radar if and when they decide to launch online sports betting in Wisconsin.

Full Details on DraftKings Launching in Wisconsin Sports Betting Market

Robert Linnehan of Sports Betting Dime has the full scoop on DraftKings’ latest retail sports betting partnership:

“The sports betting giant announced a sports betting market access agreement with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, which allows them to open a new retail sportsbook operation at the Lake of the Torches Resort Casino. Pending licensure and regulatory approvals, the deal will allow DraftKings to begin offering retail sports betting at the casino [almost immediately].”

Initially, the launch of DraftKings in Wisconsin was scheduled for as early as Wednesday, August 28. However, as of this writing, the deal still seems to be pending approval. 

For their part, though, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior seem to view the green light as a formality. “Lake of the Torches is excited to add retail sports betting to our property as a new gaming amenity for our valued guests to enjoy,” Lake of the Torches Resort Casino CEO Bill Guelcher explained (via CBS 7 in Wisconsin). “Our goal is to implement sports betting operations with a strong brand recognition and extremely high-quality product performance, and we’re honored to collaborate with DraftKings as an industry leader.”

As part of this agreement, customers at the Laker of Torches will have access to six DraftKings sports betting kiosks as well as one cashier window. The legal gambling age in Wisconsin remains 21.

Retail Sports Betting Continues to Expand in Wisconsin

This move comes nearly five months after the federal government approved of the Wisconsin sports betting compact struck between the tribe and The Badger State. The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians received their official green light back on April 9. 

Launching at this time of year was no doubt a goal for the casino operator. With football season on the cusp of kicking off, there is about to be a massive uptick in betting on the NFL. Having this agreement approved in advance of Week 1 will allow both DraftKings and the Lake of the Torches to capitalize on what will surely be an influx of business from surrounding residents.

Beyond that, the launch of DraftKings in the Wisconsin sports betting market marks the continued expansion of retail services in the region. 

Including the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, the state has now authorized seven tribes to offer sports betting services. Though these authorizations have required the amendment of existing gaming compact, negotiations have so far gone off without a hitch.

Will DraftKings Launch a Sports Betting App in Wisconsin?

DraftKings, of course, is known for their online sports betting services first and foremost. It is not immediately clear whether they will launch a Wisconsin sports betting app.

As we already noted, online sports betting isn’t currently legal in the region. However, the Oneida Nation does have an online Wisconsin sports betting app that users can access while on the property. DraftKings could theoretically incorporate something similar at Lake of the Torches.

At the same time, we cannot currently tell whether the nature of their gaming compact allows it. Our guess is it does. But not all retail sportsbooks in Wisconsin offer an on-site betting app. 

Granted, this could be more about resources and partnerships than accessibility. Still, it’s something to monitor as the DraftKings sportsbook at Lake of the Torches casino opens up for business.

Does DraftKings’ Entry into Wisconsin Suggest that Online Sports Betting is Imminent?

We don’t recommend reading too much into DraftKings’ partnership with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. This likely isn’t telltale about how quickly online sports betting will come to Wisconsin.

That’s not meant to imply mobile sports betting will come to The Badger State. On the contrary, many tribal officials in the region have already acknowledged that it’s inevitable. The rise in popularity for online sportsbooks in the United States is simply too meteoric for markets with retail services to permanently ignore. 

If anything, DraftKings’ arrival reinforces that Wisconsin online sports betting is a matter of when rather than if. They certainly wouldn’t enter a market in which they didn’t see growth opportunities. In all likelihood, DraftKings is counting on Wisconsin mobile sports betting being authorized sometime in the near future, at which point their relationship with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians already gives them a foot in the door.

Of course, pinning down an exact timeline is tough. Questions remain. Most notably, we need to see whether the launch of Wisconsin mobile sports betting requires a constitutional amendment. If it does, we likely won’t see any movement on this front until the 2026 general elections at the absolute earliest. If it doesn’t, well, then online sports betting in Wisconsin could (theoretically) come much sooner.

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