Wisconsin Senate passes bills legalizing online sports betting, banning use of food stamps for candy, soda

The Wisconsin Senate's final regular session of 2026 created some unusual coalitions and compromises in order to get a pair of high-profile bills to Governor Tony Evers' desk. (WDJT via CNN Newsource)

MADISON, Wisconsin (WDJT) -- The Wisconsin Senate’s final regular session of 2026 created some unusual coalitions and compromises in order to get a pair of high-profile bills to Governor Tony Evers’ desk.

On Tuesday, the Senate passed bills legalizing online sports betting and banning the use of FoodShare aid on the purchase of candy and soft drink products.

The sports betting bill required a nearly 50-50 mix of Democratic and Republican support in order to pass.

The 21-12 vote included 12 Democrats joining nine Republicans in passing the bill. Nine Republicans and three Democrats voted no.

With the Senate GOP evenly split on the issue, two Republican senators, State Sen. Andre Jacque (New Franken) and State Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) spoke against the bill on the floor Tuesday. None spoke in favor.

“Family breakdown, lost productivity, addiction treatment,” Nass said. “Bankruptcy, increased demand for social service, criminal justice costs and diminished household savings far exceed any revenue benefit to the state.”

The bill legalized online sports betting, as long as wagers are made through a platform connected to a server on tribal land.

Limiting the legality to only tribal casinos was a key component in securing the Democratic votes needed to clear the Senate.

“My vote today is to get this going, that all these tribes can start having these conversations,” Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) said. “To figure out where all of them want to go.”

Last month, Evers said at a WisPolitics luncheon his support for the bill would hinge on getting the state’s tribes on the same page. He indicated that had not happened yet.

“We have to engage the tribes on that, and I don’t think there’s been much,” Evers said. “It’s their issue. We have to have them at the table, and to my knowledge, they are not at the table.”

When asked about the governor’s stance on the bill Tuesday, Evers’ spokeswoman, Britt Cudaback, referred back to Evers’ comments at the February luncheon.

If Evers does sign the bill, some conservatives have signaled they’re prepared to file lawsuits challenging whether it’s legal to allow wagering without amending the state constitution.

Right-wing critics have also taken issue with the tribal exclusivity, saying there should be an open market if online sports betting is allowed.

That opposition forced lawmakers in the Assembly to cancel a vote on the bill last fall.

Corporate online betting behemoths, DraftKings and FanDuel, have registered in opposition to the bill.

The Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi tribes, along with the Milwaukee Brewers and Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, are among those who’ve lobbied in support of the bill.

The bill passed on a voice vote in the Assembly last month.

On Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) told reporters after his own WisPolitics luncheon he supported the sports betting measure because people are gambling using offshore accounts.

Vos maintained it was better to move that betting into a regulated system, which would also provide revenue for the state.

“If it were up to me, and I could wiggle my nose like ‘Bewitched,’ I would not have online gambling, but we can’t,” Vos said. “We already have it in Wisconsin. We already have billions of dollars - I think 10 times the amount was bet on the Super Bowl online versus in Las Vegas, so it’s already there.”

A ban on food stamps for candy, soft drinks

The Senate also voted to send Evers a bill banning the use of state FoodShare benefits for the purchase of candy and soft drink products.

Evers’ office indicated Tuesday the governor will sign the bill because of funding Republicans attached to the proposal.

Evers has wanted the GOP-controlled Legislature to approve giving the Department of Health Services (DHS) an additional US$72 million to make up for federal funding that was cut through U.S. President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”

The federal cuts come from changes that require states to cover a larger share of administrative costs for Medicaid programs, and there is also a new provision that threatens further cuts to states that report high error rates when processing applications

The governor’s office said Tuesday GOP leaders indicated they’d only vote for the funding if it were attached to the new restrictions on how FoodShare aid could be used.

The bill cleared the Senate by a 25-8 vote. Each of the “no” votes were from Democrats. Seven Democrats joined all 18 Republicans in backing the measure.

A busy last day

The Senate took up numerous other bills during its final scheduled session of 2026. Those measures include:

Allowing the UW System to make Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals for student athletes and providing state funding for athletic facility maintenance. The bill passed 17-16, with 11 Republicans and 6 Democrats providing just enough votes to pass Allowing DACA recipients to receive occupational licences.

The 31-2 vote overwhelmingly passed, allowing “Dreamers,” the children of undocumented immigrants but who lived in the U.S. most of their lives, to get state licences in professions such as health care, education and the trades.

A bill allowing victims of sexual extortion, referred to as “sextortion,” to file civil lawsuits

A ban on flying drones over school property without the school’s permission. It creates a fine of up to $5,000 for violating the ban