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Is it illegal for Wisconsin voters to bet on election results?
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Yes.
Betting on an election one is voting in is illegal in Wisconsin.
Politics betting has become popular on platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket. Just this year, people have placed lucrative bets on the capture of the Venezuelan leader NicolΓ‘s Maduro and on the war with Iran, among other events.Β
On Kalshi, people have placed bets worth tens of thousands of dollars on Wisconsinβs Supreme Court election on April 7 and the governorβs primary election on Aug. 11.
Ann Jacobs, Wisconsinβs Elections Commission chair, noted on X that votersβ ballots can be disqualified and thrown out if they were found to have bet on the election.Β
Wisconsin Statute 6.03(2) specifies that no one is allowed to vote in any election in which the person has placed βany bet or wager depending upon the result of the election.β The idea behind the law has existed since 1849.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Kalshi: Wisconsin bets
- Wisconsin state statute: 6.03
Is it illegal for Wisconsin voters to bet on election results? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
