Three casinos operated by the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin are closer to again offering sports betting to guests. While there is still no firm timeline for when any of the facilities will actually start accepting wagers from patrons, the casinos now have an operational partner in place to do so.
International Game Technology’s (IGT) PlaySports platform will power the sportsbooks inside the casinos. That means visitors to the casinos should have access to competitive markets and odds on popular sports.
St. Croix casinos to deploy IGT technology for sports betting
The physical sportsbooks inside all three St. Croix casinos will use PlaySports as their technology platform, according to a news release from IGT. St. Croix casinos are located in three Wisconsin towns — Danbury, Hertel and Turtle Lake.
In addition to offering ticket windows, the casinos will deploy IGT’s PlaySports Pod self-service kiosks. At this time, there is no official information about how many kiosks or windows each casino will offer. It may differ from one property to the next.
It is also unclear exactly when the PlaySports sports betting kiosks and windows will be available at each property. A notice on the websites for all three casino says they “will not have wagering available until further notice” and “we expect this to last through March Madness.”
All three casinos formerly offered wagering on sporting events via St. Croix’s own house-branded sportsbook. The St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin executed an amendment to their gaming compact with the state in December 2021 and first opened their sportsbooks in April 2022.
In the release, Turtle Lake General Manager Loren Benjamin mentioned integrating the existing sportsbook areas, The Book and the Red Zone, into the new IGT system. With PlaySports now involved, the betting product itself could compete with any other in the state.
PlaySports’ growing presence among tribal casino sportsbooks
The St. Croix casinos aren’t the only tribal casinos within the borders of Wisconsin to offer in-person sports betting. The Potawatomi Casino Hotel, for example, announced its intention to add sports betting in January.
The Oneida Nation’s casino near Green Bay was the first in the state to offer such wagering. Because of these opportunities, Wisconsinites are already familiar with betting on sports at tribal casinos.
In a similar way, PlaySports is a familiar brand among tribal casino operators inside the United States. Tribal gaming operations within the borders of other states like New Mexico and North Dakota are already using PlaySports to offer sports betting to guests.
Commercial gaming operators, like the Palace Casino Resort in Mississippi, also use PlaySports. IGT touts that it has over 90 partners using the platform across North America. Whenever the casinos are ready, PlaySports should give Wisconsinites many options for wagering on their favorite sports.
That could, in turn, increase the appeal of the sportsbook and drive revenue up for the St. Croix casinos.
