Sports betting in Wisconsin took a huge step forward in late November of 2021 when a tribal casino in Green Bay became the first gaming facility in the Badger State to accept legal wagers. Now, a major online bookmaker has partnered with the best professional sports team in Wisconsin’s biggest city.

The reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks on Monday announced a multiyear partnership with Betway, a sports betting and casino company based in Malta and the English Channel Island of Guernsey. As part of the agreement, Betway becomes the Bucks’ official gaming partner, and will receive branding throughout Fiserv Forum and on Bucks digital assets as part of the Betway Game Rewind, which will highlights the Bucks’ last matchup against their current opponent.

Betway has been very active in U.S. sports sponsorships, adding the Bucks as the company’s eighth partner within the NBA.

“Betway has been a fantastic partner to work with from the start,” said Bucks chief business development and strategy officer Matt Pazaras, “and we look forward to growing our relationship with one of the premier online betting and gaming brands in the world.”

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From West Ham United to the NBA

Launched in 2006, Betway operates in a number of regulated sports markets around the world, including the states of Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Sports sponsorships have long been part of its brand - the company is a major sponsor of horse racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and has partnerships with several major European soccer clubs including West Ham United of the Premier League, for whom it appears on the jersey front.

Since entering the U.S. market in February of 2021, Betway has formed sponsorship agreements with the NHL and member clubs, including the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils; and the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and now Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA.

“Adding to our already impressive portfolio in the NBA, we’re very happy to welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to our family of partners,” said Betway chief executive officer Anthony Werkman. “The Bucks are having a great season in the NBA and we’re looking forward to sharing the thrill of their successes together.”

Tribal Casinos Turn The Tide

Although no legal online sportsbooks currently operate in Wisconsin, the sports wagering tide in the state turned in late 2021 when the Oneida tribe amended its longstanding gaming compact with the state to include sports betting at its retail facility in Green Bay.

Currently operating with a temporary sportsbook, Oneida Casino opened a “Las Vegas-style sports (betting) lounge," prior to the Super Bowl, complete with high-definition TV screens and betting facilities.

In late December of 2021, Wisconsin's St. Croix Chippewa tribe followed suit, amending its compact with the state to open the door to sports betting at Turtle Lake Casino, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune . And the Potawatomi tribe has openly expressed interest about amending its charter to bring sports betting to its casino resort in Milwaukee.

When Wisconsin will pave the way for betting apps and the kind of mobile and online betting provided by Betway and other operators, time will tell. But tribal retail facilities have started the conversation, sure to be continued by Betway logos in the Bucks’ home arena.