Wyoming lawmakers have moved a proposed crackdown on online sweepstakes casinos closer to consideration during the state’s 2027 legislative session. The Select Committee on Gaming voted unanimously to sponsor draft legislation that would bring online casino and sweepstakes operations under Wyoming’s professional gambling laws.
The committee took up the proposal during its Oct. 5-6 meeting. However, the vote does not itself change Wyoming law. The proposal would still have to progress through the legislative process before its provisions could take effect. The draft currently lists July 1, 2027, as its effective date.
The working draft, 27LSO-0098, would amend Wyoming’s definition of professional gambling to expressly include operating an online casino or sweepstakes game. It also targets parties that knowingly provide services used to operate, offer or promote those games.
That language means the proposal could extend beyond the companies directly running sweepstakes casino platforms. The draft specifically identifies services including geolocation, payment processing, server hosting, gaming content, data services, platform services, promotion and advertising. People participating solely as players would be excluded from the provision.
The proposal is notable because it would not create a separate criminal penalty specifically for sweepstakes casino operators. Instead, qualifying activity would fall under Wyoming’s existing professional gambling law. Professional gambling is already a felony punishable by up to three years in prison, a fine of up to $3,000, or both.
The draft also attempts to address the currency systems used by some sweepstakes gaming sites. Its definition of a “representative of value” includes units associated with single-currency, dual-currency, free-play, promotional-play and sweepstakes-entry systems, among others.
The legislation emerges amid questions over how sweepstakes gaming fits within Wyoming’s existing legal framework. The state bars online casinos while permitting regulated online sports wagering and fantasy sports contests. Online sweepstakes games have created a more complicated enforcement issue because complaints can overlap gambling and consumer-protection responsibilities.
Wyoming Gaming Commission Executive Director Nicholas Larramendy told lawmakers that complaints can move between the commission and consumer-protection officials. He argued that the proposed legislation would provide greater clarity by treating the activity as illegal gambling.
The proposal has also drawn opposition from the sweepstakes gaming industry. Bill Gantz, an attorney representing VGW, argued that the draft is overly broad and conflicts with Wyoming’s treatment of sweepstakes associated with purchases of goods or services.
That disagreement could become a central issue if the proposal advances. Lawmakers previously considered the subject without moving a ban forward during committee meetings in July, demonstrating that questions surrounding definitions and the reach of the legislation have already generated debate.
For now, the committee’s action represents another step rather than a final prohibition. The draft would clarify the legal treatment of online sweepstakes casinos by placing operators and certain supporting businesses within Wyoming’s professional gambling framework while explicitly excluding players.
If the proposal continues through the legislative process, Wyoming could have a broader debate in 2027 over whether prohibition is the state’s preferred approach to sweepstakes casinos. The committee’s unanimous sponsorship gives the proposal momentum, but additional legislative action would be required before the proposed restrictions become law.
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