This is the time of year that the United States sports betting industry begins to post some massive numbers as the NFL season begins on September 9. Football is king when it comes to sports betting, and it is also the most important sport that is played in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Sports betting is coming just four miles away from historic Lambeau Field in Wisconsin as the Oneida Nation has received approval to launch later this year. The Oneida Casino is located close enough to the football stadium that it should attract sports bettors both before and after NFL games.
The initial plan for the Oneida Nation was to launch sports betting before the 2021 season started, but the equipment that is needed is now on backorder. November is now the new target date, and that still gives the tribe plenty of time to make a significant amount of revenue.
In order to offer retail sports betting, the Oneida Nation has partnered with International Game Technology (IGT) to power the sportsbook. IGT is a big name in the US sports betting industry, and it provides technology solutions to some of the top sportsbooks that are out there.
While online or mobile betting will also be offered by IGT, all of that action must be done on the casino property. The Oneida Casino will have betting windows and self-service kiosks available to bettors that wish to get in on the action.
This is just the first step for the Oneida Nation as it has other properties throughout the state as well. It doesn’t appear that those locations will have betting up and running for the 2021 NFL season, but it will be established in the future.
All of this comes after the Oneida Nation was able to renegotiate its current gaming compact with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. The US Department of the Interior also had to sign off on this new deal, and that was done in August.
More Betting Options Coming?
Now that the Oneida Nation has announced plans to offer sports betting this Fall, other Native American tribes in the state are expected to do the same. There are 11 different tribes operating in the state of Wisconsin, and 27 gaming facilities are up and running as well.
It doesn’t appear that any other tribal nations in Wisconsin are close to reaching an agreement with Governor Evers, but that could materialize in a hurry. The Oneida Nation has gotten a major head start on the other competition, but having more options would be even better for the overall industry.
If the state of Wisconsin is ever going to legalize full online sports betting, it would take a major push from the state legislature. There has not been any initial discussion that has taken place yet in Wisconsin, and this is still a few years down the road.
Current sports bettors in the state of Wisconsin have to travel across the border into Illinois if they wish to bet on sports.
