Oneida Nation Statement on DOJ Action on Prediction Markets
The Oneida Nation has issued a statement regarding the recent action taken by the Wisconsin Department of Justice to enforce state gambling laws and uphold the legal framework governing sports betting and gaming activities in Wisconsin.
"The Oneida Nation stands firmly in support of fair enforcement of Wisconsin law and respect for tribal sovereignty,” said Oneida Nation Chairman Tehassi Hill."Any expansion, reinterpretation, or innovation in wagering or gaming-related activities should occur only through lawful processes that honor federal statutes, tribal-state compacts, and the government-to-government relationship between tribes and the State of Wisconsin.”
For decades, legal gaming in Wisconsin has been carefully structured under federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and through negotiated tribal-state gaming compacts. These agreements recognize and protect the sovereign rights of tribes, including the Oneida Nation, to operate certain forms of gaming within the state. They also provide regulatory certainty, consumer protection, and significant economic benefits for both tribal governments and the State of Wisconsin.
The Oneida Nation is concerned that so-called "event contracts” or prediction market offerings that function like sports betting when offered outside of this established framework – undermine the integrity of Wisconsin’s gambling laws and the rights guaranteed to tribes under federal law and state compacts. Rebranding or novel terminology does not change the underlying function of wagering on sporting outcomes, nor does it negate long-standing legal restrictions.