Wyoming’s bid to legalize online gaming hit a rough patch as House Bill 162 (HB 162) failed to garner support in a legislative committee hearing. The implications of this development for online betting in Wyoming will lead the discussions going forward.
Due to the committee being unable to secure a second on a motion to consider the Bill, the future of the betting industry in Wyoming is in limbo. With time running out in the legislative session, it remains to be seen if a turnaround of fortunes is on the cards, or if the Bill’s fate is already sealed.
On February 3, 2025, members of the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife, and Cultural Resources Committee debated House Bill 162, which would allow statewide legal iGaming in Wyoming. As a Bill representative, Cathy Connelly moved a motion for the committee to work on this Bill. However, she was met with a resounding silence in the room. With no second in sight, committee chair Andrew Byron moved to postpone the Bill indefinitely.
While this setback is bad news for the Wyoming online betting community, it’s not yet over for HB 162. The Wyoming legislative session runs till March 6, and the Bill complied with the final deadline for Bills to cross chambers, which was February 12, 2025.
Nonetheless, time is fast running out for any of the lawmakers who may be hoping for a different outcome the next time HB 1632 is heard. Many people in the state’s iGaming industry feel that the initial committee hearing was a missed opportunity. There’s only so much that can be done now, and we’ll all find out soon.
During the Bill’s first hearing on January 30, representatives of the Northern Arapaho and Shoshone tribes strongly opposed the Bill. The tribal leaders feared that their existing gambling revenues would be further affected by online casino gaming. They cited that legal sports betting and horse racing had already taken a huge chunk of their revenue.
Their concerns were based on the fact that dwindling revenues would reduce essential services that tribal members enjoyed. They were not alone in their opposition. Responsible gambling advocates also faulted the Bill based on their concerns over increased gambling addiction risks.
In their defense, supporters of the Bill, most notably the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA), hinged their arguments on the economic benefits and better consumer protection resulting from a legal iGaming market. They further argued that Wyoming would be empowered to generate tax revenue and ensure player safety, thanks to proper regulation.
iGaming Bills have formed a large part of the conversation this legislative season, with the subject of regulation on the front burner. Lawmakers in Virginia have turned down a proposal similar to that of Wyoming. At the same time, states like New Hampshire, Maryland, and Indiana have continued to debate their own versions of this Bill in their respective houses.
Various arguments have been raised in favor of legalizing iGaming in Wyoming. One of the most popular ones is that it can help tackle the problem posed by unregulated gambling websites. In her submission, Sarah Filosa of the SBA references sweepstakes sites like Stake.us and Chumba Casino as “exploiting legal loopholes” in order to operate in the USA.
She argued that these sites offer free-to-play games but allow for the purchase of virtual coins. This would be akin to them operating as real-money online sports betting sites but without the regulatory oversight to go with it.
While making his submission, John Pappas of the iDevelopment Economic Association argued that the Bill’s passage would help Wyoming authorities clamp down on illegal operators. However, Wyoming’s lawmakers wanted to know why the state had to legalize iGaming before they took action against them.
Wyoming was looking to add the legalization of online casino gaming to its digital sports betting ranks, but in a country where online casino gaming continues to split opinions, HB 162 was not destined to enjoy an easy passage through the House Committee hearing.
In hindsight, those proposing this Bill already had their work cut out, and this setback was not exactly a surprise. As the final date to reconsider House Bill 162 moves closer, lawmakers will know how high the stakes are here. We don’t know for sure how hard Wyoming will push for the Bill to legalize online gambling, only time will tell.
