An agreement to introduce legal sports betting for the first time in Wisconsin may mean a broader shift in the state’s technique toward legal gambling, but only economists say it will have an effect on the plan announced Thursday through state officials and the country’s Oneida is the most important. it’s probably relatively minor.

Gov. Tony Evers and Oneida Nation President Tehassi Hill announced the final touch of about six months of negotiations that will pave the way for sports betting at Oneida casinos and other homes in northeastern Wisconsin. At a news conference, Oneida Nation Vice President Brandon Stevens said the move would help bring tourism to life in northeastern Wisconsin.

For its part, Evers promoted “new opportunities for new revenue and job growth. “

In practice, the economic effect on the expansion of legal gambling is not so clear.

“I’d be a little disappointed by the magnitude of those numbers,” said Rodney Paul, a sports economist at Syracuse University.

It is difficult to measure the effect of legalised sports betting on its component because there are already many tactics, from workplace groups to bar rooms and offshore internet sites, for other people to bet illegally on sports. cash will come out of the black market economy and become a regulated, taxed economy. The novelty of being able to bet on a Packers game can also attract other people to Oneida’s casinos, at least initially.

But given that the new pact with the Oneida country only allows betting on the site, Paul said this announcement alone is unlikely to make other people in other parts of the state replace their betting habits.

That could replace if Thursday’s announcement turns out to be a “springboard to the most widely available sports betting in Wisconsin,” said Victor Matheson, an economist at the College of Holy Cross in Massachusetts who studies the game.

“There is a lot of evidence that other people need to gamble,” he said. “They just don’t need to have to drive two hours to the tribal casino to make that bet. “

Even for casinos, however, economists say sports aren’t necessarily a smart business. In Nevada, where gambling has been legal for decades, sports account for a smaller fraction of overall casino activity, Matheson said. And in West Virginia, he said, casinos have noticed their revenue drop after sports become available.

“People bet more on the sport, bet less on everything else,” he said.

The expansion of legal sports betting raises fears that the activity will not only attract more sports enthusiasts and tourists, but also more challenging players. Matheson said there is evidence that sports betting appeals to other people, men with a specific college education. who are not interested in slots or blackjack, for example. Any move to attract new bettors will possibly also attract new consumers who will be compulsive or challenge players.

But for most other people, Paul said, games are entertainment. Troubled bettors are atypical, as are other people who treat their bets without a hobby as an investment vehicle. Most people who bet do so for fun and like to bet. on their favorite teams.

That means the economic effect on legal sports betting in northeast Wisconsin this fall may have a lot to do with the Green Bay Packers’ Fortunes. whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers will return this season.

“If Rodgers there and the Packers rebuild and the team is really good,” Paul said, “well, other people might find something else to do. “

Listen to the WPR here.

The plan to allow legal sports betting in Wisconsin might not bring much economic dynamism originally published through Wisconsin Public Radio.

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