⭐ WY Online Gambling

The first sportsbook apps to launch legal online gambling in Wyoming; each run a casino site as well but Wyoming players won’t be able to access those in the near future.

Wyoming legalized online gambling in the form of online sports betting law in April 2021, with Gov Mark Gordon signing the bill. The WY online gambling law also classified daily fantasy sports contests as non-gambling activities. The legislation, known as HB133, failed to mention online casinos or online poker games, so these forms of online gambling remain illegal in Wyoming. Wyoming Gaming Commission regulates the industry, addresses problem gambling, and approves new applicants for licenses.

⭐ Wyoming Online Casinos

Online casinos are not legal in Wyoming. The online gambling bill HB133 only addressed legalizing sports betting and DFS and had no mention of online casinos. Given the geographical limitations of the state, we hope that WY online casinos might arrive soon, as the distances between the tribal casinos and major Wyoming cities are hundreds of miles. For now, we recommend social casinos over offshore sites as gambling options; an offshore site does not follow responsible gambling rules so joining such a site is a risk since you have no legal recourse. On social sites, you can play poker and slot games, but not for real money.

Wyoming Casinos

There are four tribal casinos in the state, operated by two Native American tribes in WY: the Northern Arapaho Tribe and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. All Wyoming casinos offer slots machines, but only Wind River Hotel & Casino has more games under Class III gaming: a poker room with poker tournaments, video poker, and table games. The Tribe won the license following several years of legal battles, making them the best option for gaming.

Poker

Online poker games are not allowed to operate in Wyoming. The only place you can play in legal poker rooms is at the Wind River Casino in Riverton, located in the Wind River Reservation in western Wyoming.

You can play common games at Wyoming’s retail casinos, including progressive jackpot slots.

⭐ Wyoming Sportsbooks

Wyoming will grant operators minimum of 5 sports betting licenses, with no maximum cap. The five operators must have sportsbooks in at least three other states. DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, PointsBet and BetMGM have a Wyoming sports betting license. DraftKings Wyoming and BetMGM Sportsbook Wyoming were the first to launch traditional sports betting on September 1, 2021 with bonuses for new Wyoming sports bettors.

BetMGM Wyoming offers a great online betting bonus for new players who use a gambling device/mobile device.

Sports Betting

The Wyoming Gaming Commission, formerly known as the Wyoming Pari-Mutuel Commission, launched online sports betting on September 1st, 2021. DraftKings and BetMGM were the first online sportsbooks approved and launched their apps and sites on Sept. 1. Since then, only FanDuel, Caesars, and PointsBet have been approved for a license. Unlike many states, Wyoming can authorize an unlimited number of legal sites. Wyoming residents will have plenty to choose from, even though WY is not the most populous state.

Retail Sports Betting

Land-based sports betting is not available in WY, as the state legalized only online and mobile sports betting. Wyoming joins Tennessee as the second state in the United States without retail betting. Given the small population and vast distances in the state, this is quite understandable. However, one or both of the Native American tribes may open a retail sportsbook at the casinos in Wyoming; the Northern Arapaho are planning to offer sports betting.

⭐ Wyoming Online Horse Race Betting

You can bet on horses in Wyoming via mobile betting platforms, off-track betting facilities, or at the horse racing tracks. Available online sites include all the biggest horse race operators like TVG, TwinSpires, and BetAmerica. There are more than 20 off-track betting venues in the state. There are three racetracks in the state that also accept pari-mutuel wagering on horses, and provide a few live racing dates. Wyoming Downs is the most active of them. The three tracks provide historical horse racing machines, simulcast wagering, and live horse racing.

• Energy Downs Cam-Plex: 1635 Reata Drive, Gillette, WY 82718 (May to June)
• Sweetwater Downs Events Complex: 3320 Yellowstone Road, Rock Springs, WY 82901 (August to September)
• Wyoming Downs Racetrack: 10180 Highway 89 North, Evanston, WY 82930 (June to August)

DraftKings and other sites have arrived now that the Equality State made sports betting legal, in addition to horse racing.

⭐ Daily Fantasy Sports

HB133 also clarified the status of DFS contests in Wyoming. Fantasy sports are not seen as online gambling by state law, which means Wyomingites over the age of 18 can take part in these contests and win real money. As DFS is not a gambling activity, no separate license is required. In addition to giant fantasy sports operators DraftKings and FanDuel, smaller operators like Monkey Knife Fight can do business in Wyoming.

⭐ State Lottery

Wyoming Lottery is not run by the state, which is uncommon in the United States. It’s a private, for-profit organization that receives no tax dollars. The state lottery can only operate in retail settings and can’t sell scratch cards because state officials wished to limit instant win games. The only lottery options in the Wyoming gambling industry are draw games, like Mega Millions, sold at kiosks around the state.

⭐ Legal Gaming Age

Wyoming is one of the few states where you can legally gamble online or at land-based casinos at 18 years old. Anyone within the state limits, over the age of 18, and not on a self-exclusion list can play at a retail casino or place bets online. This is good news for young bettors, as most states have set the legal gambling age at 21.

⭐ Legal Gambling Timeline

• June 15, 2022: Caesars Sportsbook launches in WY.
• March 11, 2022: The third sportsbook is available in WY as FanDuel takes off in the market.
• November 19, 2021: FanDuel receives approval to launch their gambling site.
• September 1, 2021: Wyoming sports betting industry launches with BetMGM and DraftKings.
• August 2, 2021: The public comment period closes and Wyoming Gaming Commission adopts mobile sports betting market rules. Bettors can now look forward to betting app launches.
• July 15, 2021: The sports betting license application process opens, with 4 operators sending a letter of intent to enter the market.
• July 9, 2021: The Gaming Commission decides on a set of sports wagering rules, which will undergo a 45-day comment period.
• April 6, 2021: Sports betting online in Wyoming becomes legal as Governor Gordon signs HB 133 into state law. Wyoming becomes the first state to allow cryptocurrency to be used for deposits. Now WY must decide on the gambling regulations the operators must follow.
• March 29, 2021: HB133 passes the Senate 24-5 with 1 abstention.
• March 10, 2021: The House passes a revised online betting bill it rejected a day earlier. The new sports betting bill proposes a tax rate of 10%, a 5-year license fee of $100,000 and a renewal fee of $50,000.
• Feb 28, 2020: A sports betting bill to legalize sports betting in WY fails in the House of Representatives. State lawmakers, led by Rep. Tom Walters, continue to look into legal online gambling.
• 2013: Lottery starts to operate in Wyoming; active racing on horses is only available at Wyoming Downs.
• 2006: Wyoming legalizes commercial casinos on tribal lands, undoing the McGill Act of 1901.

Last updated: 09/16/2022