Wisconsin
Wisconsin becomes 33rd state to legalize online sports betting
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill into law Thursday that legalizes online sports betting, making it the 33rd state to allow the practice.
But gamblers in Wisconsin will have to wait months or maybe even longer before they can start to legally place bets. The law Evers signed, which passed the Legislature with bipartisan support, requires the state to negotiate new deals with American Indian tribes that would run the sports betting.
Evers said he would not accept a plan that treats any one tribe better than another.
“The real work begins today,” he said in a statement. “Each of the 11 Tribes must now work diligently-and together-to shape the future of sports betting in Wisconsin. … An approach that exacerbates long-standing inequalities among Tribal Nations is not good for Wisconsinites or Wisconsin. I will not entertain it as governor.”
Gambling is legal in Wisconsin only on tribal lands under exclusive contracts between tribes and the state. Sports bets can currently be placed only at certain tribal casinos, and online sports betting is illegal.
Under the new Wisconsin law, online sports betting would be allowed only if the infrastructure to manage the bets, such as computer servers, is located on tribal lands in the state. That approach, known as the “hub-and-spoke” model, already is used in Florida.
Under the Wisconsin tribal compacts, a percentage of the money tribes earn through that gambling is returned to the state. In 2024, the tribes paid the state just over $66 million from revenue generated at casinos.
Evers said the new law represents a chance “to support mental health programs and to combat the opioid crisis, two issues that I know plague both Tribal Nations and communities across our state.”
Supporters of the measure include several Wisconsin tribes and the Milwaukee Brewers. They contend people currently are placing bets using offshore sportsbooks or prediction markets or crossing into other states where it’s legal, including neighboring Illinois.
The Sports Betting Alliance, which represents FanDuel, DraftKings, bet365, BetMGM and Fanatics, opposed the law. They argued that it wouldn’t make financial sense for them to partner with Wisconsin tribes, because federal law requires 60% of gambling revenues must go back to the tribes. They would prefer a state constitutional amendment opening sports betting to all operators.
Evers, who is not running for a third term this year, has originally said he would sign it as long as it had the support of the state’s 11 federally recognized tribes. But he later raised concerns because not every tribe was on board. Evers said Thursday that all 11 tribes are now in active negotiations over how to implement the new law.
Across the U.S., state-regulated sportsbooks handled nearly $167 billion of bets last year, generating revenues of nearly $17 billion after winnings were paid out to customers, according to the American Gaming Association. That marked an almost 23% increase over the previous year.
Wisconsin
Severe thunderstorms bring power outages, wind damage to northeast Wisconsin
GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (WBAY) — Severe thunderstorms moved through northeast Wisconsin on Wednesday afternoon, leaving thousands without power and causing widespread wind damage.
According to poweroutage.us, as of 4 p.m. Fond du Lac County has 2,900 customers without power and Dodge County is at 3,600.
A tornado warning for Fond du Lac County expired last hour, but severe thunderstorms continued across the region with large hail, high winds and heavy rainfall. Trees and branches were reported down across the area.
Rain began in Grand Chute as winds picked up just after 2 p.m. A severe thunderstorm warning issued for the area warned of 80 mph winds and asked residents to take shelter and move away from windows to an interior room.
The storms produced widespread wind damage across Oshkosh, where 1,400 customers were without power. WPS reported more than 3,000 customers without power in Winnebago County.
Copyright 2026 WBAY. All rights reserved.
Wisconsin
Chris Borland heads back to Wisconsin as Hall of Fame inductee
Chris Borland’s spot in Wisconsin’s Athletic Hall of Fame came with the kind of résumé that represented the modern Badgers defense: massive production, big-game hardware and Midwestern toughness.
Wisconsin selected Borland as one of 12 athletes, staff, and supporters in the class of 2026 Hall of Fame inductees. The group will enter the Hall of Fame the weekend of Sept. 18 this fall, with Borland and the rest of the class honored during Wisconsin’s matchup against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 19 at Camp Randall Stadium.
Borland starred at linebacker for Wisconsin from 2009 to 2013 and finished as one of the program’s most decorated defenders of the era. He earned 2013 first-team All-America honors, won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and closed his career with 420 tackles. He also played in three Rose Bowls, anchoring a defense built around physicality, instincts and tackling that excelled in big moments.
Borland’s induction adds a football centerpiece to a nine-sport Hall of Fame class, and it lands on a weekend that will bring a full Camp Randall spotlight back to former Badgers. Wisconsin fans will get their on-field Hall of Fame moment on Sept. 19, when the Badgers host Eastern Michigan and Borland’s career highlights take center stage again in Madison.
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Wisconsin
Black bear spotted in Sheboygan County may be heading north
Sightings were also reported near Wilson and Oostburg as observers say the bear appears to be heading north through the area.
Black bear walks through residential yards in Slinger
A black bear was spotted walking through residential backyards June 2 in Slinger. Resident Holly Nowak captured a video from her deck.
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY – If you see a bear lumbering through the woods or past your home, you might not just be imagining things.
The presence of a black bear recently was reported in the Kohler-Andrae State Park area, according to a report from WBHL radio station. The bear could be the same one reported earlier in the town of Saukville.
Sightings of the bear have been reported to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources since the animal appeared in the backyard of a home in Ozaukee County. Observers say the bear was heading north.
Observers rooting for the bear to make it back home
According to WBHL, someone living just south of Kohler-Andrae State Park said in a Facebook post they saw a bear Sunday evening (likely the same bear.)
Someone posted a photo of a bear in the Town of Wilson near Oostburg Sunday.
Observers seem to be rooting for the bear to make his or her way back to wherever home might be.
“Poor boy,” Erin Brown posted under the Town of Wilson photo. “He’s just making his way to his future partner. Please keep an eye out while driving.”
“He sure is making his way around,” Ruth Wood wrote. “Pretty incredible how much they’re on the move. Like someone said … we are overbuilding and taking their habitat away. Indeed we will have more wild life because of it. I feel sorry for this guy … and all the other wildlife being displaced.”
Added Cindy Schultz, “Oh stop freaking out. You know, it was bound to happen. Just be aware and cautious.”
Bear population on the rise
Authorities from the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department said Monday they had not been notified of any bears moving through the area.
Kevin Brown, assistant bear/cougar specialist for the state DNR, confirmed the agency received two notifications through its Wildlife Observation Tool on June 2 of what appears to be the same bear in the Slinger area.
Wisconsin’s black bear population is around 23,000 to 24,000, according to the DNR. Although they most commonly live in the northwoods, black bears are increasingly being sighted in south and southcentral Wisconsin. The bear population was only around 9,000 back in 1989, according to the DNR.
If you sight a black bear, DNR officials suggest that you stay calm, shout, clap or bang pots together, and make yourself look large. Never run from a bear. Brown recommended learning more at BearWise.
Contact reporter Patti Zarling at pzarling@usatodayco.com or call 920-606-2575.
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