Online casino legalization bill tabled in Wyoming
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House Bill 120, sponsored by Reps Jon Conrad, Robert Davis, Sandy Newsome, and Tom Walters, aims to legalize online casino three years after sports betting went live
A new online casino casino bill was introduced in Wyoming earlier this week and has been sponsored by four state representatives.
State Representatives Jon Conrad, Robert Davis, Sandy Newsome, and Tom Walters have all endorsed HB 120, which would see an expansion of gambling in the Cowboy State to include online casino, in addition to sports betting that was legalized in 2021.
The new bill would see online casino regulated by the Wyoming Gaming Commission, with the regulator able to issue up to five licenses, each with an initial fee of $100,000 and a five-year renewal fee of $50,000.
Additionally, an interactive gaming vendor permit would require an initial cost of $10,000, followed by $5,000 for subsequent five-year renewals.
The proposed online casino tax would be set at 10% of online casino revenue, with $300,000 of annual tax revenue earmarked for the Department of Health to go towards problem gambling programs.
HB 120 also allows for multistate agreements with other “permissible jurisdictions” as long as the agreements are not inconsistent with federal law and the law of the jurisdiction.
A permissible jurisdiction is defined as a jurisdiction other than Wyoming where wagers on online casino may be accepted “pursuant” to an interactive gaming reciprocal agreement.
An operator that offers live dealer games will not be required to have a studio based in Wyoming.
Wyoming’s legislative session runs from February 12 through to March 8 and will determine whether online casino will be legalized in the state this year.
Currently, Wyoming isn’t the only US state tabling bills to legalize the online casino vertical.
In New York, Senator Joe Addabbo tabled a fresh online casino bill on January 12 following last year’s failed attempt to gain approval.
The chances of legalization of online casino in the Empire State in 2024 were dealt a blow when it was omitted from State Governor Kathy Hochul’s state budget for 2025.
Maryland is also debating legalizing the vertical after Senator Ron Watson tabled SB 0603 at the end of January.
