Wisconsin online sports betting delayed until spring by lawsuit

Online sports betting is still a long way away from reality in Wisconsin. And a lawsuit against it won't be settled anytime soon. Jason Calvi in the newsroom tonight with what comes next. I imagine the changing legislature plays some role here. Well, it does, but there's really two hurdles before online sports betting comes to your phone or computer, state and federal approval. So that would probably mean the new governor will need to be approving that deal with the tribes. And then there's also this lawsuit. Today, the case got bigger, and now we know it won't be settled until the spring. Back in April, the legislature and Governor Tony Evers approved a new law. It opened the door to online sports betting. Before there's actual online sports betting, the state and feds need to sign off. And first, Governor Tony Evers asked the state's 11 tribes to agree on how online sports betting will all play out, how it'll all work. Once that's done, then the governor will need to renegotiate the compacts. Those are those formal agreements with each tribe. And then guess what? The federal government would still need to sign off. The second hurdle for online sports betting is a lawsuit. In August, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty sued on behalf of the Brown County Taxpayers Association and Citizens Defending Liberty. They argue the law breaks the Wisconsin Constitution. The Wisconsin Department of Justice is defending the law. And today, Waukesha County Judge Arthur Melvin let eight tribes join the case as interveners. That means they'll be helping defend the online betting law. That includes the Forest County, Pottawatomie, Ho-Chunk, and Oneida Nation. Now, the lawyers fighting the law also say they need to amend their lawsuit to take into account the state's new constitutional amendment. Those are the results on your screen there, which will ban the state from giving preferential treatment based on race or other protected classes. The lawsuit against the law won't be settled until next spring. The judge is having the parties take turns laying out their arguments and briefs. And then the judge says he'll hear oral arguments in April and then likely rule in May. Ted? It's soap. A prevalent online betting, you see it on every sporting match you watch. I think a lot of people are surprised to learn you can't legally do it here in Wisconsin. Yeah, it is against the law in Wisconsin. This was something that was debated in April. Ted, you had mentioned at the beginning if the new legislature will play a role in this. No, not really, because it's all now the tribes negotiating with the governor, likely the future governor, Governor-elect David Crowley. They'll have to negotiate those compacts, each of them separately, And then each of those compacts will go to the federal. The federal government, which they'll have to sign off before you'll have sports betting here in Wisconsin, plus there's this whole lawsuit. All right, Jason, we'll be looking for updates. Thank you.