Online Gambling License in Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Division of Gaming is part of the Department of Administration and is responsible for supervising and protecting the integrity of charitable and Indian gaming operations in the state. It’s also the regulator of online gambling in Wisconsin.

The Division is also enforcing regulations that protect the public interests as well as legal gambling activities in the state. Moreover, the agency is responsible for issuing licenses and conducting background checks to ensure licensees comply with the law.

The Division of Gaming is in charge of monitoring and regulating tribal gaming operations through its Office of Indian Gaming.

The Office of Indian Gaming and Regulatory Compliance (OIGRC) regulates tribal gaming establishments in Wisconsin under the State of Wisconsin and valid state-tribal compacts.

Besides tribal casinos, the Wisconsin Division of Gaming also has an Office of Charitable Gaming (OCG), which controls charitable raffles and bingo games conducted by nonprofit organizations. The Office issues licenses and regulates these events, ensuring the proceeds are used for charitable purposes.

Types of Gambling Regulated by the Wisconsin Division of Gaming

Gambling in the Badger State is limited. Online Gambling in Wisconsin such as online casinos and online sports betting are not legal, nor are video gaming devices.

Only licensed tribal casinos can hold video gaming machines, while bars can have five or fewer machines only if they are solely for amusement, meaning they are free to play and don’t pay any real money prizes.

However, the state allows some forms of gambling in Wisconsin, though it strictly regulates them.

Tribal Casinos

Wisconsin has 11 federally recognized Native American tribes, which are authorized to operate more than 20 Class III casino establishments on their lands under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). The Act and state-tribal compacts allow each tribe to have its own independent gaming commission. However, the OIGRC conducts regular audits of the tribal gaming operations.

Ho-Chunk Nation runs some of the most popular tribal casinos in the state. The tribe has several physical casinos across the state, and we will name a few:

• Ho-Chunk Gaming in Wittenberg
• Ho-Chunk Gaming in Nekoosa
• Ho-Chunk Gaming  in Tomah
• Ho-Chunk Gaming  in Black River Falls

Ho-Chunk Gaming in Black River Falls offers 600 slot machines and different table games like poker and blackjack. Another excellent casino and hotel is Potawatomi Casino & Hotel in Milwaukee, operated by Forest County Potawatomi Community of Wisconsin. The casino houses hundreds of slot machines and table games like roulette, craps, and blackjack, has a poker room, and organizes bingo events.

Sports Betting

Some tribal casinos are also allowed to offer sports betting on the premises. One such casino is the above-mentioned Potawatomi Casino & Hotel in Milwaukee. This casino has a Potawatomi Sportsbook that lets you bet on different sports in their Sportsbook Lounge or at self-service kiosks, working 24/7. In other words, all wagering must be made onsite.

Another popular retail sportsbook in Wisconsin is Oneida Sportsbook. Oneida Casino Hotel in Green Bay is the first casino in the state to offer wagering on various professional sporting events. One of the best-known regulated retail sportsbooks in the state is a world-leading operator, DraftKings, which is available at the Lake of the Torches casino. You can bet on your favorite sports at six DraftKings Sportsbook wagering kiosks or over-the-counter windows on the casino floor.

Finally, we’ll mention three St. Croix Casinos in Dunbary, Hertel, and Turtle Lake. All of them feature sports betting rooms where you can watch live events and place wagers at sports betting kiosks. The retail sportsbooks in these casinos are powered by IGT PlaySports.

Lottery

Wisconsin Lottery is run by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (WDOR). The state-run lottery was established in 1987, and the first games became available in 1988. Then, a year later, in 1989, the Wisconsin Lottery introduced its first game, Megabucks Lotto, America, a multi-state game. Since then, the Wisconsin Lottery has become very popular among players in the state.

The featured games include lotto and instant scratch games. You can participate in popular interstate lotteries awarding big prizes, like Powerball and Mega Millions, and try your luck with Megabucks, Badger 5, Pick 3, and Pick 4. If you like pull-tabs, you can choose among several options, like Huntin Bucks, Liberty Bills, or Lucky Cherries.

It’s worth noting that you can’t buy tickets online. You can only purchase them at licensed retail locations, and you’ll find the list of the retailers on the official site. Still, the Wisconsin Lottery has a mobile app that allows you to scan tickets to check if you are a winner.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Even though online gambling in Wisconsin in prohibited, just like in so many other states in the US, Daily Fantasy Sports is in a loophole as it is neither formally legal nor illegal. The state still hasn’t passed a bill that regulates these competitions, as an attempt to legalize DFS failed in 2017.

As a result, Daily Fantasy Sports operators accept players from Wisconsin. You can join many DFS sites from Wisconsin, but the most reputable brands are undoubtedly DraftKings and FanDuel.

The Wisconsin Division of Gaming Regulatory Framework

The Wisconsin Division of Gaming oversees tribal casinos through state compacts with 11 Native American tribes. These compacts are permitted by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, 25 U.S.C. sec. 2701 (Act). The state and the tribes have negotiated gaming compacts that define the regulations and rules the tribes must meet to operate Class III gambling establishments, as defined in the Act.

Here is a list of all tribes that have a compact with the state:

• Ho-Chunk Nation
• Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
• Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
• Forest County Potawatomi Community of Wisconsin
• Menominee Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin​
• Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
• Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
• Oneida Nation
• St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
• Sokaogon Chippewa Community (Mole Lake Chippewa)
• Stockbridge-Munsee Band – Mohican Nation

The Division has its Office of Indian Gaming and Regulatory Compliance (OIGRC), and together, they enforce laws and regulations and perform regular checks to ensure fairness and transparency.

Moreover, they also monitor licensed vendors conducting gaming-related business at tribal-run casinos. Some of the vendors holding gaming-related contractor certificates include Aristocrat Technologies, Ainsworth, Galaxy Gaming, Every, Novomatic, Konami, and IGT.

Besides the Office of Indian Gaming and Regulatory Compliance, the Wisconsin Division of Gaming has another bureau – the Office of Charitable Gaming (OCG).    Charitable bingo games became legal in 1973 after amendments to the Wisconsin Constitution. Charitable raffles were legalized in 1977. The OCG oversees these activities, issues licenses, and regulates all bingo and raffle games organized by nonprofit organizations in the state.

FAQs about Online Gambling in Wisconsin