St. Croix Chippewa Indians launch two Wisconsin sportsbooks

Retail sports betting is up and running at two St. Croix Casinos in Wisconsin.

The two facilities, which are owned by the St. Croix Chippewa Indians, launched their sportsbook operations last weekend after receiving clearance from state and federal authorities.

The Book at St. Croix Casino Turtle Lake began taking legal sports wagers at 10am on Friday following an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. The ceremonial first bet at the establishment was placed by Georgia Cobenais, a member of the St. Croix Chippewa Indians tribal council.

Commenting on the opening, the council member described the process of getting the sportsbook up and running as nerve-wrecking but exciting and went on to state that the tribe had a great team working together round the clock to have everything in place before the much-awaited launch.

The venue is Wisconsin’s second legal sportsbook, after the Oneida Casino in Green Bay. The operational hours of the sportsbook are 7am to 3am Monday through Sunday.

St Croix Casino Danbury opens Red Zone betting lounge

St Croix Casino in Danbury is also offering legal sports wagering following the official opening of its Red Zone sportsbook.

The establishment rolled out operations at 4pm on Saturday, making it the third gaming facility in the Badger State to add sports betting to its offering.

The book features four sports wagering kiosks, a lounge, a full bar, and seven televisions. The construction of the venue set the casino back $80,000.

Patrons visiting the Red Zone Lounge can place a wide variety of wagers on popular sports like football, baseball, hockey, basketball, golf, soccer, and tennis. The available betting types range from parlays to straight bets and teasers.

In a statement about the opening, the General Manager of St. Croix Casino Danbury, Loren Benjamin, said: “We saw an opportunity and thought it was a perfect thing to add to our properties. Sports betting is another revenue generator. And it’s all entertainment here. We hope to increase the crowd we have and expand, and offer sports to a new demographic.”

Relief for operator after struggle for federal approval

The opening of the two Wisconsin sportsbooks comes nearly four months after the St. Croix Chippewa Indians tribal nation renegotiated its gaming compact with Governor Tony Evers to add sports betting.

As will all tribal gaming operators, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which falls under the federal Department of the Interior, had to sign off on the renegotiated compact before the tribe could roll out sportsbook operations.

The operator had hoped that the two sportsbooks would be ready by Super Bowl, but getting clearance at the federal level proved to be a huge challenge. However, the casinos say the delay was a blessing in disguise since they can now take advantage of the slow sports calendar to learn the ropes of sportsbook operations before the busy season kicks off.

The tribe is also expected to add sports betting to its third gaming facility, St. Croix Casino Hertel in Webster, although the launch date for the sportsbook is yet to be announced.

In addition to the St. Croix Chippewa Indians, the Forest County Potawatomi Community is also in the process of bringing legal sports wagering to its two casinos in Wabeno and Milwaukee. The tribe announced signed a sports betting agreement with Governor Evers’ administration in February, and its Milwaukee-based facility is on schedule to start accepting sports wagers before the end of the year.

More sports betting news