WI Gov. Tony Evers Announces Sports Betting Agreement with St. Croix Chippewas

• Agreement Between WI and St. Croix Chippewas Allows Sportsbook at Turtle Lake 
• Gov. Evers Signed Similar Deal with Oneida Nation Back in July 
• Final Step: 45-day Review by U.S. Department of Interior, Approval Expected 

Agreement Between WI and St. Croix Chippewas Allows Sportsbook at Turtle Lake

Wisconsin is not only the Land of 10,000 lakes, but also the state with nearly two dozen casinos, and each is run by a different native tribe so when it comes to sports betting, a separate agreement is required in each case.

This is exactly what just happened between Wisconsin and the St. Croix Chippewa Indians, an updated compact that Governor Tony Evers announced last week that allows the tribe to set up and run a new sports gambling operation at its casino in Turtle Lake.

Gov. Evers explained how this new agreement will help the state financially in multiple ways:

Event wagering will bring new opportunities for employment and revenue growth to the Tribe and provide a welcome boost to our recovering tourism and entertainment industries.

Tribal Chairman William Reynolds agrees and sees this new agreement as a boon for Wisconsin gamblers, saying in a statement:

The addition of sports wagering at the St. Croix Casinos will give our tribe the ability to give our customers the most comprehensive gaming experience in the state of Wisconsin.

This makes the second time a deal like this has been struck.

Gov. Evers Signed Similar Deal with Oneida Nation Back in July

The actual St. Croix Tribal agreement took place last month, approved by their council at the end of November, their new sportsbook already being set up, a difficult job made easier given there is already comparable tribal sports betting operation in place in Wisconsin.

Last summer, Gov. Evers signed a similar agreement with the Oneida Nation to launch a sportsbook at its casino near the city of Green Bay, and that Oneida sportsbook opened at the start of November.

Next could be the Forest County Potawatomi Community, who have expressed interest in opening a sportsbook at their casino in Milwaukee once it fully reopens, and other Wisconsin tribes will most likely follow suit, the lead now being set by these first few tribal nations.

There is one more step that must take place before the new St. Croix sportsbook can proceed.

Final Step: 45-day Review by US Department of Interior, Approval Expected

Before the updated St. Croix Tribal compact is made official, there must be a 45-day review by the U.S. Department of Interior, essentially a formality that is expected to end in an approval, most likely long before the month and a half deadline expires.

For the St. Croix Chippewa Indians, this new sports betting agreement should result in an increase in Turtle Lake Casino traffic located in the far northwestern corner of Wisconsin, a hot spot not only for Badger State bettors but also their Gopher State neighbors since its only about an hour-and-a-half from Minneapolis.

Once the other almost two dozen Wisconsin tribes see these first few native sportsbooks launch successfully, they will no doubt want the same for their own gambling operations, so keep checking back for the latest news and updates on this ongoing story.