TLDR Wisconsin is defending Act 247, a law that lets Native American tribes run online sports betting. The state says the Brown County Taxpayers’ Association lacks standing to challenge the law. Opponents claim the law violates a 1993 state constitutional amendment that limited gambling. The groups suing argue the law gives tribal members a race-based benefit. DraftKings and FanDuel opposed the law but are not part of the lawsuit.
Wisconsin is defending its new law that lets Native American tribes offer online sports betting. The state is asking a court to reject a lawsuit that claims the law breaks the state constitution.
The law is known as Act 247. It allows Wisconsin’s tribes to run online sports betting through a system tied to tribal servers.
The lawsuit was brought by the Brown County Taxpayers’ Association and another group. The state says the plaintiffs do not have the legal right to bring the case.
State Says Lawsuit Should Be Dismissed
Assistant Attorney General Colin Roth filed the state’s reply. He argued that the law is valid and that the challenge has no legal basis.
According to the filing, the plaintiffs “fail to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” It also says they “lack standing to pursue this action.”
In legal terms, standing means a party must show it has been harmed in a way that allows it to sue. The state argues the plaintiffs have not met that test.
The lawsuit was filed in August in Waukesha County. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, known as WILL, filed it on behalf of the Brown County Taxpayers’ Association and Citizens Defending Liberty.
The case names four state officials. They are Governor Tony Evers, Secretary of Administration Kathy Blumenfeld, Division of Gaming Administrator John Dillett, and