MILWAUKEE — Potawatomi joins Oneida Nation and the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin in reaching sports betting deals with the state.
The casino says by the end of 2022, its sports book will be up and running in Milwaukee. It is just another sign that gambling is becoming more prevalent in the way sports is consumed.
As its popularity spread, Wisconsin can expect to see more of it during broadcasts of games as well.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Visiting Assistant Professor in Sports Media, Michael Mirer, says in just the last two decades, the sports world has gone from fearing gambling to inviting it in.
"It's a sign that this is where sports revenue comes from," Mirer said. "That gambling makes the media rights more valuable and the media rights are the primary source of revenue for sports teams."
But, this isn't the only place the money is going. There are also taxes to be collected. For example, since 2018, Pennsylvania has collected $144 million dollars in tax revenue.
Before you bet your bucks on the Milwaukee Bucks, you need to make sure you're not setting yourself up to get in trouble.
"If you increase gambling, no matter what it is, in an area, you're going to see more people trying it because it's in our own backyard," Rose Blozinski, executive director at Wisconsin Counsel on Problem Gambling, said. "You're certainly at risk to have another percentage of people that become addicted to it."
Blozinski says young adults tend to be at high risk for developing a gambling addiction, which is a concern with Marquette University just right across the street.
"Especially because they're in that age of 'it's not going to happen to me' and it can happen," she says.
There are warning signs to watch out for.
"Are you gambling more often than you used to? Are you spending more money? Is it taking over your life? Is it taking away from things that used to be important to you? Are you having money problems? Are you having legal problems," Blozinski asks.
There are resources if you have a gambling addiction, which you can find by clicking here.
You have to be older than 21-years-old to bet. Potawatomi is also still working out its sports betting rules, but in Oneida in Green Bay, you can't bet on Wisconsin college teams.
