Wyoming Lawmakers Eye Gaming Regulatory Changes

Wyoming is eyeing regulatory changes after the Wyoming Legislature’s Select Committee on Gaming convened to discuss the state of the gaming industry. Officials proposed a variety of legislative solutions to balance the sector.

WGC Discussed a Variety of Issues

The Select Committee on Gaming, a body that was created to address the rapidly growing industry, convened last week for interim discussions related to the state of Wyoming’s gaming industry. The meeting saw officials discuss various issues, including the distribution of proceeds from wagering and the divisive “Queen of Hearts” charitable games.

The Wyoming Gaming Commission’s executive director, Nick Larramendy, opened the meeting by discussing the growth in historic horse racing handle, which reached $2.49 billion in 2025. While Larramendy acknowledged that handle does not equal revenue, the state tax is based on 1.9% of the former metric. He added that operators were left with a gross profit of $180 million.

After that, officials discussed a variety of pressing matters.

Some Were Displeased After Races Were Moved to Evanston

One of the hottest topics of the meeting was Wyoming Downs and 307 Horse Racing’s decision to move several Gillette races to Evanston. The tracks’ president, Kyle Ridgeway, defended the decision with the fact that the latter city attracts many bettors from Utah, resulting in higher attendance and an enhanced “racing atmosphere.”

However, some lawmakers were displeased with this, arguing that Ridgeway is effectively abandoning his commitment to supporting horse racing in northern Wyoming. Ridgeway disagreed with this statement, emphasizing that his team is making significant contributions to the economy. He added that his team is firmly committed to following laws and not feelings.

The Committee Will See if a Legal Path for Queen of Hearts Is Possible

Another hot topic was the recently shut-down Queen of Hearts game. The game, which operates similarly to traditional raffles, has one key difference and that is the fact that a winner is not guaranteed at every drawing. Unfortunately for supporters of the game, this violates Wyoming law.

Bryan Grzegorczyk, who owns the Alf’s Pub in Cheyenne and is the founder of the Thankful Thursdays fundraiser, stated that the Queen of Hearts game allowed his team to raise $4.5 million for charity organizations. Because of that, he asked lawmakers to find a way to legalize the game.

However, lawmakers emphasized that the game is simply incompatible with the current law. Still, they agreed to research whether there are ways in which the game could be modified to comply with the law.

Speaking of raffles, lawmakers also noted that current raffle regulations can potentially be exploited as organizations can claim most of the proceeds as costs, leaving little to nothing for actual charity. As a result, the committee approved the creation of a bill that would require at least half of the raffle proceeds to fund charity.

WGC Plans to Draft iGaming Prohibition Bill Amid Others

An additional hot topic was the growing illegal online gambling sector and the rise of sweepstakes casinos. Committee members expressed concern about the fact that not everyone understands that these sites are illegitimate.

As a result, the committee plans to draft a bill that would explicitly prohibit iGaming in the state.

Additional proposals discussed at the meeting included a fixed floor for the percentage of HHR revenue fueling live racing, a $300,000 online betting-funded contribution to problem gambling treatment, and the creation of a professional gaming commission that would replace the WGC.

The committee will continue drafting and discussing potential new bills at its next meeting in July.