Online Gambling Wyoming
The gambling industry in Wyoming has been growing steadily since 1979 with several tribal-owned casinos, horse racing tracks and lotteries allowing residents the chance to gamble. However, Wyoming online casinos have never been successfully legalized, and currently they remain illegal to host online from within the state borders. Wyoming Online Gambling Laws As of now, there is no law directly related to online gambling in the state of Wyoming. Wyoming's statutes do cover gambling, but they have not actually written laws specifically regarding gambling on the Internet.
- Casino Gambling: Legaltribal only
- Poker: Legalunder certain circumstances
- Horse Racing Betting: Legal
- Dog Racing Betting: Not Legal
- Lottery: Legal
- Daily Fantasy Sports: Not Specified
- Charitable Gaming: Legal
- Social Gambling: Legal
- Online Gambling: Not Specified
Wyoming has a reputation for being a state filled with active outdoorsmen who love their guns and the Republican Party. Cowboy boots and hats are always in fashion, which makes sense when you consider that the official nickname is the “Cowboy State.” These modern-day frontiersmen also like to gamble on occasion, even if the Wyoming gambling laws haven’t always been entirely conducive to the hobby.
Fortunately for gamblers, these laws have become less restrictive since the beginning of the new millennium. Lottery tickets are now available throughout the state, and both locals and tourists can also choose from horse racing and tribal casinos.
This page provides an overview of the Wyoming gambling laws. Whether you’re a Laramie resident willing to risk a few bucks or a card-counting tourist passing through the state, this should serve as a handy guide to what’s legal and what should be avoided.
While we’ve gone to great pains to make this article as complete as possible, keep in mind that we’re just humble gambling enthusiasts with a passing interest in the law. We might have missed some minor detail along the way, and it’s very possible that new legislation has been enacted since this document was published to the Internet.
If you want to be certain that you’re following the letter of the law, there’s no substitute for a licensed attorney. These learned men and women make it their business to know all the latest developments in the world of jurisprudence, and they’ll be happy to share their knowledge with you for an outrageous hourly fee. Considering the subject matter, we suggest finding someone who specializes in gaming law.
If you don’t think of Wyoming as a traditional gambling state, that’s because you probably don’t think of Wyoming much at all. We think the history of legal gambling in the state is fascinating in part because so few of us are familiar with this least-populous of all US states. We were surprised to find out that Wyoming is home to three tribal casinos, a state lottery system, and some of the most liberal poker rules in the country.
We were equally-surprised to find out that activists in Wyoming are working hard to further liberalize the state code, pushing a bill allowing for unregulated DFS wagers even as we researched the topic to write about it. In order to put everything we’re going to tell you in context, let’s start with some key gambling stats and information about the state. You’ll notice that there’s no report of annual gambling revenue or taxes – that’s a symptom of the surprising fact that Wyoming has yet to create a regulatory body, which is our usual source for that kind of information.
- Age Requirements: 18
- Approximate Annual Gambling Revenue: n/a
- Approximate Annual Gambling Taxes: n/a
- Number of Commercial Casinos: 0
- Number of Racinos: 0
- Number of Tribal Casinos: 3
- Casino Regulatory Body: None
- Lottery National Rankings: 46th
Even though Wyoming has very few legal forms of gambling, the state’s gaming law is just as complex as states with many legal and regulated markets. That’s because of a few strange wrinkles in the law, and a few pieces of legislation that require further explanation. Remember that the information below represents an informed opinion about Wyoming gambling law. If you need actual legal advice regarding the state’s gaming laws, we recommend a lawyer familiar with gambling law in Wyoming.
Contents
Wyoming is one of the few states in the US that has a very firm hold on all types of gambling. Most types of gambling are illegal in the state of Wyoming, including online gambling.
However, as is always the case with local legislature and laws, it’s not a clear cut, and there are many players who still participate in online gambling activities in the state of Wyoming.
For these reasons, we wanted to give you a thorough guide on online casinos in Wyoming, their legality, and what land-based options exist in this state. Let’s take a look at what you need to know.
Top 5 Wyoming Online Casinos
Here is a list of our top 5 recommended online casino sites to play at for real money from Wyoming.
Is Online Gambling Legal in Wyoming?
If we take a closer and detailed look at the gambling laws in Wyoming, we can see a few important things. The first is that only a few things are clearly and entirely legal in this state.
These are:
- Tribal land-based casinos
- Pari-mutuel wagering on horse races
- Horse racing video terminals
- Charitable gambling
- State lottery
This is because the state’s law is very clear when it comes to the legality of these forms of gambling.
However, when it comes to online gambling, the laws are not so clear because there are no specific mentions of online gambling in the state’s gambling rules and regulations. Consequently, this puts online gambling in some sort of limbo, as it’s neither legal nor illegal.
Even though that’s the case, the law is very clear when it comes to gambling on devices like a phone, PC, or tablet. Essentially, it states that gambling is illegal on these devices and an activity that’s punishable by law. Even though that’s the case, it doesn’t mean that the state punishes people for playing online casino games.
The law is mostly directed toward the people and organizations looking to create casino sites or other websites where people can play illegal gambling games. But if you, a regular player, decide to play casino games online, you are unlikely to be punished for it.
But as there is no place to play casino games online in the state of Wyoming, what can you do? This is where we reach the case of offshore casinos.
Can I Play in Offshore Casinos?
Yes, any player from Wyoming can look for and join offshore casinos. All you need to do is find a good offshore casino that caters to players from Wyoming. As for the local law, even though this is technically illegal, you don’t have to worry as the state is unlikely to punish you for this.
In addition to offshore casinos, you can also play in social casinos, as these are permissible according to Wyoming gambling laws. However, bear in mind that social casinos don’t use real money, so you’ll only be playing for fun.
If you want to play legal online casino games, you can only do so in land-based casinos, which we’ll soon cover as well.
Future of Online Gambling in Wyoming
Gambling has been slow to reach the deserving state of legality in Wyoming. Only in 2005, did the first tribal land-based casino open in this state. State lottery appeared in 2013, while horse race betting came back in 2018.
From all of this, it’s clear that the state is not really interested in making a wide variety of gambling games legal any time soon.
Judging by the fact that tribal casinos had a hard time getting approved in this state, it’s very likely that the same will happen for online casinos. However, for now, there are no indications that any form of online gambling will become legal in this state in the near future.
There were talks of creating a special gaming commission in 2016, but nothing came out of them. Ever since then, nothing has been done on the part of Wyoming lawmakers to discuss online gambling or put forth any bills for approval. So, unfortunately, we can’t say that something positive will come out of it any time soon.
Land-Based Casinos in Wyoming
In Wyoming, only tribal casinos are allowed to operate, and there are no commercial casinos available. What’s more, as tribal casinos became legal fairly recently, only four of them exist at the moment, three of which are in Riverton, and one in Lander.
Let’s cover all of them.
The Wind River Hotel and Casino
Online Gambling Wyoming Jobs
The Wind River Casino is the largest tribal casino in the state of Wyoming. It hosts more than 800 slots and 10 table games like poker, roulette, blackjack, and craps. There are a lot of options to have fun at this casino, but also to win big. Some of the slots are progressive jackpots, and they tend to give out more than $500,000 to lucky winners!
If you want to visit it and stay for a while, you’ll be glad to know that it also has 90 hotel rooms, two restaurants, and a few cafes. Also, it’s located at 180 Red Wolf Creek Dr, close to Riverton, and it’s open 24/7.
Shoshone Rose Hotel and Casino
Shoshone is the second-largest casino in the state of Wyoming. It’s owned and operated by the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and has more than 300 slots, including both classic and newer slots.
Besides this, the casino is also a hotel, so you can book a room in one of the 60 luxurious rooms available. There is also a restaurant called the Deka-Guy Hee restaurant which is Shoshone for “The Eating House.”
The casino is located on 5690 US-287 in Lander, and it works 24/7.
789 SmokeShop & Casino
The 789 Casino is located on Highway 789 south of Riverton and its main attraction is the ubiquitous SmokeShop. As for the casino, they have a bingo hall and around 200 slot machines. Most of them are classic slots while there are a few jackpots as well.
Wyoming Online Gambling Laws
As for the SmokeShop, it’s something you do not want to miss. It’s open seven days a week most of the day, and it offers some of the best meals in the area.
Little Wind Casino
Little Wind Casino is a smaller casino located in the Wind River Indian Reservation in Ethlete, a short distance by car from both Lander and Riverton.
It has more than 160 slots, and many of them are the same as the ones found in Las Vegas. They include progressive jackpots and a few notable machines like Wolf Run and Enchanted Forest.
You can find the casino on 800 Blue Sky Highway, and you’ll be glad to know that they also have a restaurant.
FAQ
Online gambling is not legal nor is it illegal in the state of Wyoming. However, gambling on most devices is but that doesn’t mean these laws are enforced. Players often join offshore casinos sites with no repercussions.
The legal gambling age in Wyoming is 18 unless it’s otherwise noted by the casino.
Unfortunately, both online sports betting and online casinos are unlikely to become legal any time soon in Wyoming.
No, but many players join them with no repercussions. However, remember that you can be punished for playing in an offshore casino, it’s just that the chances for this are extremely low.
No, but you can still play it without much risk in offshore casinos. Furthermore, you can play poker in the tribal casinos.