Frederica Freyberg:
With the governor's signature, mobile sports betting outside of tribal land is one step closer to becoming a reality in Wisconsin. But big questions still remain as the state's 11 tribal nations must renegotiate gaming compacts with the state that must also be approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Gov. Tony Evers said, "What I will not accept is a plan that fractures this opportunity into unequal pieces, allowing some Tribes to reap great benefits while leaving only crumbs for others. This is an opportunity to avoid the mistakes of past compact amendments that left some Tribes and their members in poverty while only lifting up a few." We spoke with the CEO of the Potawatomi Casino Hotel for his take.

Erica Ayisi:
What are some of your initial thoughts on the possibility of online sports betting here in Milwaukee, in Wisconsin overall?

Dominic Ortiz:
Yeah, well, I see this as a big win for all the tribes and the state of Wisconsin. The reason that it's so critical in timing — we wish we had a longer timeframe to get involved or to put together solutions — but the fact of the matter is a multitude of companies have already opened up sports betting across the state of Wisconsin, from illegal operators to offshore to predictions to sweepstakes to fantasy draft plus. So when we see that happening, none of those benefits are coming back to the state. And we've had a great model for over 35 years where tribes have had exclusive gaming rights in the state and have created investments in local communities and facilities and shared millions and millions of dollars in tax revenue and kept those benefits in the state of Wisconsin.

Erica Ayisi:
Do you think there's still some questions that some tribes may be looking for answers?

Dominic Ortiz:
Yeah, I certainly think there are some rocks in the road but nothing that we can't break down to pebbles and move out of the way. You know, the tribes see this as a big win. It's a great partnership with the state where, "Yeah, we can get ahead of this." And I think the Legislature got it right — you know, giving the tribes an opportunity to generate more tax revenue, more shared revenue amongst the nations and build jobs. We have over 10,000 jobs in local communities in the state, and it's important that we continue to support that.

Erica Ayisi:
So will new compacts have to be made?

Dominic Ortiz:
Absolutely, and I'm glad you brought that up because we will work through this compact process in a unified front across all the tribes to bring together the right solution in a timely manner, because this is already happening and we're losing out an opportunity. So for us, it's critical that we let Wisconsin bet.