Green Bay Tribal Casino is Set to Launch Retail Sports Betting
One Wisconsin tribal casino will be able to take advantage of NFL betting the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs. And it’s in Green Bay no less, about 10 minutes from legendary Lambeau Field, home of the Packers.
The Oneida Nation’s casino on Airport Drive will begin taking sports bets on Tuesday — the only casino in Wisconsin that will offer it. The casino confirmed Monday that it will be going live Tuesday with sports betting. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m., according to reports.
Oneida Chairman Tehassi Hill and Gov. Tony Evers signed an amendment to the gaming compact in July, allowing the tribe to offer sports betting. The amended compact was approved by U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs in August. Real money online casino gaming is not part of the new compact.
The amended compact permits betting on professional sports games and events (like the NFL Draft) and entertainment award shows. Placing wagers on Wisconsin college sports is prohibited, as is placing bets on the outcomes of elections and events involving those under the age of 19.
The Green Bay Packers are 9-3 this season and fighting for the top seed in the NFC. If the Packers can either gain the top seed or win the division, there will be a home playoff game at Lambeau Field in January. The American Gaming Association expected a big increase in NFL betting in 2021.
Oneida Has Deal With IGT
In September, the Oneida tribe announced it would use International Game Technology’s PlaySports platform for retail and mobile sports betting.
"We look forward to partnering with IGT to introduce sports betting to our loyal patrons and becoming the first casino in Wisconsin to operate a sportsbook," Louise Cornelius, Oneida Casino gaming general manager, said in a news release when the deal was announced. "Implementing IGT's proven PlaySports platform and trading advisory services will strongly enhance Oneida Casino as a premier gaming destination."
Mobile Betting Onsite Only
The deal only permits betting on land “owned by the tribe or held in trust for the tribe by the federal government that contains a commercial building owned or leased” by the tribe, a release announcing the new compact said.
Mobile sports betting is not available yet. On its website, the casino says, “COMING SOON. Place your bets through the Oneida Casino Sportsbook mobile app. Watch for details!” No information was available on when the app will go live inside the casino.
At the time of compact announcement, the Oneida tribe wanted to have sports betting launched by the start of the NFL regular season, but that was delayed by “slow delivery of all the systems,” according to the tribe. The tribe will offer sports betting using kiosks and retail stations.
Neighboring States Offer Mobile Sports Betting
Michigan, Illinois and Iowa — three states that border Wisconsin — have been seeing record online and retail handles this fall as the NFL and college football regular seasons began in September, followed by the NBA and NHL in October.
Michigan reached nearly $500 million in total handle in October ($497.6 million), up 28.6% from September’s $386.8 million. Mobile betting in Michigan also set a record at $463.3 million of the total handle, a 30.8% increase from September’s $354.3 million.
Iowa also had a record October, reaching $281 million in total sports handle, up 33.5% from it’s September record of $210.4 million. Mobile sports betting was 89% of the total handle.
Illinois has not announced its October totals yet, but it posted nearly $600 million in September ($596.6 million), which was up 49% from August. Mobile sports betting was 96% of the total handle.
Connecticut, the latest state to launch retail and online sports betting, had to amend compacts with two tribes to expand its iGaming options.
