You can now put a little money on your favorite sports teams during your next visit to Green Bay. Oneida Casino accepted the state’s first legal sports bets Tuesday morning months after its gaming compact was amended earlier this year to include a sportsbook.  You will be able to make wagers on professional sports and college athletics not involving Wisconsin schools, though in the future you will be able to make bets on other events like nationally-televised award shows. Access to sports betting is still limited as you will not be able to use popular betting sites unless you want to drive a lot further than Green Bay. Wisconsin Council on Problem Gambling Executive Director Rose Blozinski says the same principles you would use gambling at machines at local watering holes applies to sports betting.

Sports betting has been a major economic driver in states like Illinois and Michigan where it is legalized statewide. Gamblers in Illinois placed nearly $2 billion in wagers in 2020 at a time when many professional and college sports schedules were truncated due to the pandemic.