The Wisconsin Public Policy

With the introduction of the lottery and dog racing, the major policy issue has been the legalization of additional forms of gambling.

Because the state receives revenues from the lottery and dog tracks, enhancing their profitability has also been a concern.

The impact of Indian casinos on dog tracks and, to a lesser extent, the lottery has also been an issue.

Public policy on gambling has been shaped by the governor, the legislature, the Gaming Commission, the dog track owners and operators, the Wisconsin tavern League, the state's tourism industry, economic development groups, local political officials in communities with dog tracks and those wanting gambling enterprises, Indian tribes, and (in a very limited way) the Wisconsin Conference of Churches.

Debates about the expansion of gambling have also been shaped by the growth of gambling and proposals for expanding gambling in adjacent states, especially Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa.

The governor and legislature have not taken a strong, consistent stand on the legalization of gambling in the state. While the governor has been cool to the idea of expanded gambling, he has not been vehemently or consistently opposed to it.

In contrast, some legislators have opposed gambling on moral grounds.

Others view it as an economic development strategy and favor it as a means of increasing state tax revenues.

Legislators from communities because this would threaten their tracks ad the economic benefits to their constituents. Officials from communities that do not have gambling businesses favor expansion as a way of benefiting their communities economically and having something positive to point to at reelection time.

The Wisconsin Gaming Commission, created in 1992 by the merger of the bingo, racing, and lottery boards, is responsible for regulation. However, in a policy vacuum, it has not been reluctant to advise the governor and legislature on policy matters.

While the commission has regulatory powers, it also operates the state lottery. Hence , it functions with built-in conflict: it is expected to operate a profitable lottery while regulating itself and its competitors.

Dog track owners and operators, in an attempt to protect their enterprises from competition, have not been advocates of gambling expansion. Owners and operators in the central and northern parts of the state are concerned about the growth of riverboat casinos in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana, and especially about proposals for land- and water-based casinos in Chicago, an important market on which they draw.

In the western part of the state, along the Mississippi River, there has been strong local support for riverboat casinos. These have been seen as a potential economic benefit to any community in which they might be based.

Riverboat casinos in Iowa and Illinois, recurring proposals to introduce them in Minnesota, and the growth of Indian casinos in Wisconsin and Minnesota have created the perception that western Wisconsin is losing tourism dollars.

In the central and northern parts of the state, tourism is promoted on the basis of wholesome outdoor, family recreation (camping, fishing, boating, hiking, as well as theme park attractions).

This image is seen by many people as being at odds with the image and reality of gambling. At the same time, restaurants, hotels, motels, and a variety of retail businesses benefit from the additional tourism stimulated by Indian casinos.