Gambling Laws In Wyoming In Wyoming, the following forms of gambling are permitted by the state: lotteries, social gambling, historic horse racing, charitable gambling, pari-mutuel wagering, and casino gambling. At this time, Wyoming has not regulated domestic online gambling and thus it is illegal to operate a WY-based online gaming site. Wyoming Online Casinos. The USA has numerous gambling laws across its states as they are each autonomous, governed by their own bodies. Due to this, the perception of gambling as well as its influence is quite polarized when you compare the various American states, for example, Nevada and Wyoming. The gambling laws in Wyoming are very tight and inflexible, and show no signs of becoming any easier to deal with in the coming years. At the time of writing, there are not any forms of online gambling that have been legalized by the state, though the practice of daily fantasy sports continues to operate in something of a grey zone. Online Gambling in Wyoming Wyoming law prohibits all gambling not specifically authorized by the state. Online casinos and poker sites are prohibited under state law and there are no indications lawmakers are planning on changing that any time soon.
Wyoming is one of the least populated states in the country. Perhaps this is why their gambling options are so limited. The state has no state-licensed or authorized online gambling options.
However, WY players can legally use licensed offshore online gambling sites while the state decides whether to pursue expanded gambling forms online.
This guide will discuss licensed offshore online Wyoming gambling sites, domestic gambling options, and how gambling laws came to pass in the state.
Is It Legal To Gamble Online In Wyoming?
Wyoming Online Gambling Laws
Wyoming’s gambling laws do not explicitly prohibit licensed offshore online gambling, nor does the federal government hold any prohibitions against the domestic use of licensed offshore online gambling platforms.
However, domestic state-based online gambling platforms as illegal to operate or own due to a lack of legislation permitting domestic online gambling sites.
Best Wyoming Online Gambling Sites
Our team put together the table below after scouring the internet to find the best available offshore sites. We screened each brand for its licensing and regulation offshore but also verified their strong security features, customer support options, and bonuses. All of the sites listed below are legal in the eyes of Wyoming and offer some either specialization in online gambling or a mix of poker, casino, bingo, and sports gambling.
Site Name | Bonus | Rating | Type | USA | Visit Site |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Online Casinos | |||||
$3000 | Casino | Visit Site Full Review | |||
$5000 | Casino | Visit Site | |||
$5000 | Casino | Visit Site | |||
$1000 | Casino | Visit Site | |||
$9000 | Casino | Visit Site | |||
$10000 | Casino | Visit Site | |||
$20000 | Casino | Visit Site | |||
Online Sports Betting Sites | |||||
$250 | Sportsbook | Visit Site | |||
$1000 | Sportsbook | Visit Site | |||
$1000 | Sportsbook | Visit Site | |||
$1000 | Sportsbook | Visit Site | |||
Online Poker Sites | |||||
$500 | Poker | Visit Site | |||
$1000 | Poker | Visit Site | |||
$1000 | Poker | Visit Site |
Other Wyoming Gambling Pages
Which Forms Gambling Does Wyoming Allow?
Wyoming only designates certain gambling types as legal. They are as follows:
- Casino gambling (tribal-run)
- Poker
- Bingo
- State lottery
- Pari-mutuel wagering
- Charitable gaming
- Online gambling through licensed offshore sites
What Is The McGill Act?
The McGill Act was a law passed in 1901 which banned all forms of gambling. Prior to this law, gambling could be found in Wyoming because it was considered a frontier state filled with card-sharks and gamblers. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that casino gaming surfaced thanks to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Wyoming’s Classification Of Gambling
Wyoming looks at gambling as “…risking any property for gain contingent in the whole or in part upon lot, chance, the operation of a gambling device or the happening or outcome of an event, including a sporting event, over which the person taking a risk has no control…”
This definition comes from Section 6-7-101 of Title 6 Crimes and Offences, Chapter 7 Offenses Against Public Policy, Article 1 Gambling.
What Are The Penalties For Illegal Gambling?
Pursuant to Wyoming law, a person who engages in unlawful gambling is committing a misdemeanor offense. This is punishable by imprisonment of no more than six months and fines of up to no more than $750, or both.
Has Wyoming Ever Considered Legalizing Commercial Gambling?
There was a time in 2015 where lawmakers considered creating a Gaming Commission to oversee the implementation of legal commercial casinos. This proposal was abandoned after the session ended and interest seemed to wane. Our records do not indicate any more efforts towards legalization.
What About Domestic Online Gambling?
Since Wyoming’s gambling laws do not cover online gambling, the state hasn’t been able to launch a domestic market. While other states in the US have jumped at the chance to do so, Wyoming simply does not share the same demand. The state is often looked at as remote and more natural, which doesn’t fit the narrative for digital gambling. Which is why WY players seeking online casino games must use licensed offshore WY online casinos.
Has Wyoming Legalized Sports Betting?
While pari-mutuel wagering is legal, Wyoming has not moved to legalize standard regulated sports wagering. PASPA was repealed, clearing the path for the state to introduce legal betting options. However, Wyoming’s gambling infrastructure is poorly equipped to deal with sports gambling. Therefore, utilizing licensed offshore WY online sportsbooks is the best option for WY bettors.
Do Offshore Gambling Sites Support Mobile Betting?
Yes. The offshore gambling sites listed in the table above support mobile gambling through web-based applications. WY players can access these platforms through their preferred mobile device’s browser – there is no app download required.
Wyoming Online Gambling FAQ’s
What Real Money Casino Games can I Find Online While In Wyoming?
Wyoming players can enjoy various slot titles, live dealer games, table games, and specialty games from licensed offshore online casinos. Each of the game categories mentioned offer their own variations of each game (blackjack, roulette, craps, bingo, keno, etc) providing hours of wholesome entertainment.
What Poker Features Can Be Found Online?
Licensed offshore WY online poker sites offer multiple features for their online poker games. These features can include note keeping, anonymous table play, multiple hand play, hand history, and much more. Other available features include bonuses and tournaments.
What Sports Can I Bet On Online While In Wyoming?
Licensed offshore online sportsbooks offer numerous sports wagering options on domestic and international leagues, teams, events, and games. With a wide array of betting lines on major, minor, and niche sports, political events, and entertainment WY bettors have a lot of wagering options to choose from.
What Bingo Games Can I Find Online In Wyoming?
Licensed offshore WY online bingo halls support various bingo games for WY players to gamble with. Online bingo games can be themed, progressive, or a number of different ball variations like 30-ball, 60-ball, and 90-ball bingo games. Other available online bingo games include side games and bingo chat games.
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
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.
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.
Online Gambling Wyoming News
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.