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Wyoming Rep. Robert Davis couldn’t get his colleagues to take up online casino legislation this year.
He said he hopes a gaming study ordered by the Wyoming Gaming Commission can help him get online casinos legalized in Wyoming in 2025.
Last week, the Wyoming Gaming Commission announced that it contracted with Spectrum Gaming Group to conduct a study on the future of gaming in Wyoming.
The legislature requested a statewide study on gaming in its general appropriations bill. The Joint Appropriations Committee provided topics for the study to review, including guidance on interactive gaming, projections for tax revenue, and best practices for a regulatory structure.
The study will also examine historic horse racing, skill-based games, and online sports wagering in the state.
Davis told PlayUSA that he thinks the study could spark interest in legalizing Wyoming online casino next year.
“I think it’s good we’re doing this and they’ll be surprised with what the study will yield as far as that this is already occurring in Wyoming and what kind of revenue we can produce by regulating it.”
Planting the seeds for Wyoming online casino
Davis made Wyoming an unexpected state to consider online casino legislation this year by filing a bill in February.
However, in a short budget-focused session, Wyoming legislators needed to vote on what legislation to consider.
Getting a committee assignment required a two-thirds vote of 42 House members. The House rejected HB120 by a 25-36-1 vote.
This year, Davis modeled his bill after the Wyoming online sports betting law, passed in 2021.
The legislation instructed the commission to award at least five interactive gaming operator permits with no maximum. The $100,000 initial fee renewable for $50,000 every five years and 10% tax rate matched the sports betting bill.
It set a minimum age of 18 to participate in online casino, consistent with how the state handles other forms of gambling, and included $300,000 to prevent and treat problem gambling.
Study will have significant impact on next year’s efforts
Davis said he expects the study to have a great impact on the chances for Wyoming to pass online casino legislation in 2025. PlayUSA will follow future Wyoming bills in its online casino bill tracker.
“A lot depends on what the study yields,” Davis said. “Once we see the study, then we can see if there’s an appetite for it or not.”
Davis said he also wants to wait to see the study before deciding whether or not to refile his online casino legislation.
The commission wants an initial draft of the study in early November. Legislators can begin prefiling bills for next session on Nov. 6.
He’ll look to the study to update the language of his next bill. However, if the study is not favorable to online casino legalization in Wyoming, Davis said he probably won’t refile his bill.
“There’s no sense in trying to do something if the study doesn’t support it.”
But that’s not Davis’ expectation. He plans to use the study as a springboard to passing a Wyoming online casino bill next year.
The Wyoming legislative session begins Jan. 14 and runs to March 7. Passage next year only requires a majority vote.
“My hope is the study shows to what degree it is occurring in Wyoming illegally,” Davis said. “Then the best thing to do with something occurring illegally is to legalize it and protect the people who are doing it.”
