Last updated: January 22, 2025
Wyoming Representative Robert Davis has reintroduced a bill (HB0162) to legalize online casinos, backed by a positive economic study. The bill proposes a tiered licensing fee structure, a 16% revenue tax, and accommodation for existing sports betting permit holders.
State Representative Robert Davis continues to pursue his bill to legalize internet casinos in Wyoming, this time by introducing House Bill 0162 immediately as the legislative session of 2025 gets underway.
According to an earlier study from Spectrum Gaming Group, introducing internet casinos in Wyoming may be expected to carry tremendous economic advantages for the state, while maintaining stability for ongoing gaming operations.
What are the main provisions of House Bill HB0162? This bill, introduced by Representative Davis, would allow interactive gaming in the state but also introduce some rules that would be aimed at ensuring that the activity is fair and safe.
The Wyoming Gaming Commission would oversee this gaming activity. Representative Davis is not doing this in a vacuum, as he has Representatives Landon Brown and J.T. Larson co-sponsoring the bill.
The objective is to attempt creating an online gaming law that includes everyone, considering those already on board in this endeavor are tribal casinos operating currently within the state. There are various revenue projections that can prove helpful for Wyoming.
The legislation stipulates that vendors are required to remit a fee of $10,000 for a five-year license, followed by a renewal fee of $5,000. Conversely, operators will incur a slightly higher cost, amounting to $100,000 for an initial license valid for five years, with a subsequent renewal fee of $50,000.
Nevertheless, operators who currently maintain a presence in the state, especially those possessing existing online sports betting permits, will receive a modest concession. They will be required to pay an application and renewal licensing fee of $2,500, which is a big discount. The bill also guarantees that at least five interactive gaming operator permits will be issued to operators who qualify for licensing to encourage a competitive online gaming industry in Wyoming.
The proposed online casino legislation would require operators to pay 16% of their monthly revenue, including setting aside some funds for problem gambling treatment and county funds. The rest would go to the state’s School Foundation Program, the Wyoming Department of Health, and the gaming commission itself.
The renewed opportunity of online gaming in Wyoming brings a question: will this attempt bring different results?
This is not the first time Davis is pushing to legalize online gaming in Wyoming. Last year, he tried it, and his House Bill 0120 didn’t make it past. Maybe this one will make it.
Online casinos are legal only in seven states to date. These states are:
Paired with its streamlined government, Wyoming could yet be in a better position to benefit from legislative action on online gaming. For example: Rhode Island’s swift ability to seize on new opportunities and act shows what smaller states can do in comparison to the larger states. For Wyoming, this may mean avoiding the sometimes slow and arduous discussion process that often delays progress in the larger states, which have fewer stakeholders at the negotiating table.
However, the most populous state – California – cannot manage to pass online gaming legislation despite virtually two decades of effort. The labyrinthine tangle of California’s interests, combined with powerful tribal gaming interests and commercial casinos, has thwarted an agreement on a way forward.
While it’s not an easy task in New York, there are some pushes for online gaming legalization. As much as advocacy groups may fight for its implementation, the iGaming factor was absent from Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent budget plan, which will most likely postpone the realization of such a venture.
