Gambling In Wisconsin Bars
- Casino Gambling: Legal
- Poker: Not Legal
- Horse Racing Betting: OTB only
- Dog Racing Betting: OTB only
- Lottery: Legal
- Daily Fantasy Sports: Not Specified
- Charitable Gaming: Legal
- Social Gambling: Not Legal
- Online Gambling: Not Legal
- Casinos in Wisconsin. Native American tribes offer gaming and bingo in 19 locations around the state, and many Wisconsin casinos provide fine dining and quality entertainment.
- Hovering in the background, however, is the state’s contradictory enforcement of a variety of gambling machines located in convenience stores, bars and restaurants throughout the state.
The gambling machines are illegal in Wisconsin, and in some situations the theft is going unpunished. Patrons usually scam the gambling machines in one of two ways. They either collect winnings from the bar after placing nothing into the machines, or they manage to take money or credits out of the machines without a legitimate win.
When people think of Wisconsin, the most likely images to pop into their heads are cheese and the Green Bay Packers. While there’s no denying that both of these play a major role in the day-to-day lives of residents, the state also has a number of gambling opportunities to keep the locals entertained.
The growth of the gambling industry within Wisconsin marks a major shift in attitude and policy since the state’s admission into the Union in 1848. Their original constitution made any type of lottery perpetually illegal, and all gambling debts were ruled uncollectable a decade later. Near the turn of the century, wagering on any content between men or beasts was also made illegal.
This anti-gambling attitude remained in place for nearly a century, but it slowly began to change in the 1970s. Both charitable raffles and bingo were approved by voters in the decade of disco, and 1987 saw the arrival of a state lottery and pari-mutuel wagering. Five years later, the first compacts regarding tribal gaming came into being.
While gambling within the state remains popular, the overall enthusiasm has cooled slightly. The last race track closed in 2009 due to faltering attendance, and in early 2015 Governor Scott Walker rejected a proposed off-reservation casino from the Menominee Tribe. Unfortunately, the latter may have been less about a lack of interest and more about Walker’s presidential aspirations and the desire of the Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi tribes to shut down a potential rival for casino revenue.
The information in the box below is designed to give you some context for the information we’re going to share about the gambling laws of Wisconsin. We think you’ll find the key info shared below very interesting. For starters, check out the vast difference between the annual gambling revenue of the state’s tribal casinos and other gambling venues and the tiny amount of money the state earns from taxing gaming. Wisconsin taxes gambling venues at a lower rate than just about any other US state. Read on for some more facts about the Wisconsin gambling industry.
- Age Requirements: 18 if no liquor served, otherwise 21
- Approximate Annual Gambling Revenue: $1 billion
- Approximate Annual Gambling Taxes: $24 million
- Number of Commercial Casinos: 0
- Number of Racinos: 0
- Number of Tribal Casinos: 22
- Casino Regulatory Body: Wisconsin Division of Administration – Gaming
- Lottery National Rankings: 32nd
Pay close attention to our take on Wisconsin’s gambling laws – the state is quite explicit about most of its gaming codes, and if you want to gamble on the right side of the law, you’ll want to absorb every bit we share. Of course, we aren’t lawyers, and we don’t share this information for any reason other than education. If you have a genuine concern about gaming law and you live in Wisconsin, we recommend that you speak with a lawyer, preferably one with gaming experience.
Gambling machines in the Milwaukee area are being scammed by some of their patrons, but prosecuting the scammers is difficult. The gambling machines are illegal in Wisconsin, and in some situations the theft is going unpunished.
Patrons usually scam the gambling machines in one of two ways. They either collect winnings from the bar after placing nothing into the machines, or they manage to take money or credits out of the machines without a legitimate win. The object of the scam is to win, not by playing the game of chance, but by somehow fooling the video poker machine into thinking that money has been deposited and a win has occurred. Other thefts are completed by prying the currency area of the game open and removing the money.
Wisconsin Gambling Machines In Bars
In Caledonia, for example, two men were found to have scammed a machine located in a bar. Using a tool to retrieve the original currency, the men allegedly put a bill into the machine, then pulled it back out and repeated the process over and over, fooling the machine into giving them credits. When caught, one of the men commented to police that he had been arrested previously and was released with no consequences. The state game operator’s association says that this is an ongoing problem for them. The police are unable to help protect the illegal machines in a significant way.
Anyone who may be facing criminal charges for what might or might not be deemed a crime may benefit from consultation with a defense lawyer. In cases where an alleged theft has been committed or money has been obtained in a potentially fraudulent manner, it may be important to know what the laws are regarding that particular activity.
Gambling Machines In Wisconsin Bars
Source: The Journal Times, “Cheating illegal machines — State law makes video poker theft tough to prosecute”, Stephanie Jones, December 21, 2013