Wisconsin Online Sports Betting

If not for Wisconsin’s Tribal casinos and the broad scope of the Indian Gaming Compacts with the State allowing a full selection of casino games – Wisconsin might a barren place for gamblers. Some head-scratching gambling laws exist in the Dairyland State. For example, horse racing betting is legal on-track, yet there are no tracks to bet at.

Residents and visitors to the State of Wisconsin enjoy a state lottery and charitable gaming, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS), and Wisconsin’s poker players are also well catered for in the tribal casinos. Sports betting is limited to the Oneida Nation’s casino near Green Bay while online options are still illegal.

Wisconsin is a middle-of-the-road state when it comes to the types of gaming on offer that include a state lottery, DFS, horse racing betting of all possible kinds, tribal casinos, and charitable gambling options.

There is 7.75% state tax on gambling winnings in the State of Wisconsin.

However, gambling wins over a $600 amount in Wisconsin may possibly attract an additional Federal Tax.

We recommend contacting your tax attorney to assess your potential Federal tax liability if you have a big win in the state of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin maintains an easy to manage 18-years-of-age age limit on all its legal forms of gambling, other than its tribal casinos, which have a legal age limit of 21.

Unfortunately, gambling laws in Wisconsin prohibit sports betting in the state for operators and players alike. There is one legal Wisconsin sportsbook in Green Bay at the casino operated by the Oneida Nation. However, the state legislators have yet to take advantage of the loophole provided to them by the U.S. Supreme Court to apply legal sports betting options for the state’s residents. Consequently, it appears that there is little demand for change in Wisconsin, although other tribes are pushing to open sportsbooks of their own at tribal casinos. 

Legislators may well be looking to see how states that have already taken up the offer of legal sports betting and online sports betting progress in their respective development before making any further decisions. In 2019, State Representative Vorpagel reported to the media that he intended to begin debate on legalizing sports betting in the state, but no activity was reported in the State House.

Wisconsin’s sports bettors do, however, have some excellent legal sports betting options in the form of horse and greyhound racing and DFS that can be enjoyed to play legally. In the meantime, residents must travel to Illinois or Green Bay to place a wager on the state’s much-loved Green Bay Packers, or the Milwaukee Bucks or Brewers until Wisconsin’s State Representatives get onboard and work together to supply the state’s residents with fully legalized sports betting in the style of the best sports betting sites for New Jersey.

Wisconsin is NOT one of the few states with legal online gambling, and as such, online sports betting is not a legal option for the state’s residents and visitors.

Until the time that the legal sporting betting online revolution comes to Wisconsin, sports bettors in the America’s Dairyland State can participate in legal gambling online for horse and greyhound racing, and play real money DFS competitions.

Daily fantasy sports (DFS) operators are active in 41 states, while only 19 states have statutes formally legalizing it, despite Federal lawmakers determining that DFS competitions as contests of skill and not gambling at all.

Wisconsin falls into the second category as a state where DFS operate perfectly legally, whilst there are no state laws formally recognizing DFS. However, it hasn’t been for the lack of trying by Wisconsin’s State Legislative Representatives.

Despite the clarity on the issue at the Federal level, Wisconsin has twice attempted to legislate DFS as legal with respective bills SB 436 and A 526. Both bills have been around since the 2015-16 legislative session and have been reintroduced annually since despite failing to pass.

As one of new generation of ‘family-friendly’ betting options unsoiled by the illegal past, eSports betting will offer a new and fresh form of gambling when Wisconsin takes up legal betting on sports.

eSports – What is it?

eSports are organized professional tournaments where the players – or ‘athletes’ as they’re now known – compete against each other in multiplayer video games. eSports have been around as long as multiplayer video games have, emerging from the underground LAN parties of the early 21st century. However, with improvements in online streaming services and the role of international sportsbooks for betting purposes, have seen them explode in popularity.

The most popular games are first-person shooters (FPS) like the Call of Duty franchise, real-time strategy games like Starcraft II, sports games like FIFA and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games such as League of Legends and Dota 2. No matter the game type, all versions draw huge crowds and the prizes continue to get richer and viewership numbers erupt.

Typically, when big prize money is on offer, sports-bettors are not far away. A full complement of international bookmakers now set extensive and impressive betting markets on several of the competitive global eSports tours.

Watch for eSports to become available soon at your favorite long awaited legal Wisconsin sportsbook.

Horse and greyhound racing are 100% legal in Wisconsin. Licensed tracks may operate off-track betting on both types of racing, however, there are none operating at this time. Bets may also be accepted by phone, over the Internet or on mobile apps on online.

Trackside Betting

Wisconsin’s last horse or greyhound track closed down in 2009 and there are no plans on the drawing board for opening any new tracks in the state.

Off Track Betting (OTB) in Wisconsin

OTB Betting is permitted in Wisconsin at a network of several OTB locations.

Online Horse Racing in Wisconsin

Despite the state’s stance on online gambling, it is important to realize that horse racing betting websites are legal in Wisconsin. The sites are all 100% legal, licensed and authorized under the state’s statutes to take bets online for horse racing without any fear of breaking Wisconsin’s interpretation that online gambling is illegal.

Wisconsinites can access attractive online odds on thoroughbred racing in the U.S. and all major horse racing venues worldwide directly from their tablets, phones, other mobile devices or home computers. Most of the best and top-notch advanced horse and greyhound racing websites are simple to navigate, easy to use and given the streamlining of the latest technology on offer, they won’t chew through too much of your data plan.

For more information about the laws of online casino gambling in Wisconsin click here