HB0087 is a statutory consolidation and recodification bill for Wyoming gaming law. It reorganizes existing gaming provisions into a new Chapter 24 structure, renumbers and amends numerous sections, repeals obsolete or duplicative language, and makes conforming cross-reference changes throughout the Wyoming statutes. The bill covers several gaming categories, including charitable gaming (bingo, pull tabs, and calcutta wagering), pari-mutuel wagering, skill-based amusement games, and online sports wagering.
Substantively, the bill preserves and restates the regulatory framework for the Wyoming Gaming Commission while adding or clarifying definitions, licensing procedures, reporting duties, background-check requirements, penalties, and fee structures. It also creates or updates provisions for online sports wagering, including operator and vendor permits, key personnel licensing, geolocation and compliance controls, and a sports wagering account funded by fees that may transfer excess revenue to the general fund. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.
HB0087 would substantially reorganize Wyoming’s gaming statutes by moving provisions from Title 11 into Title 9 and by repealing outdated sections in Title 6 and Title 11. It would affect the Wyoming Gaming Commission, gaming operators, vendors, charitable organizations, pari-mutuel permit holders, and online sports wagering businesses by restating their regulatory obligations under a consolidated statutory scheme. The bill also establishes or updates fee collections, licensing standards, criminal history checks, enforcement penalties, and revenue handling for gaming-related activities.
Based on the bill text alone and the absence of committee transcripts or recorded votes, the overall sentiment appears procedural and administrative rather than controversial. The measure is sponsored by the Joint Appropriations Committee and is framed as a consolidation effort, suggesting a technical cleanup approach intended to streamline and modernize gaming law. The inclusion of expanded online sports wagering provisions and detailed regulatory controls indicates an intent to formalize and manage gaming activity rather than to significantly expand or restrict it in a single direction.
The most likely points of contention are the bill’s treatment of online sports wagering, the scope of gaming permitted under state law, and the regulatory burden imposed on operators and vendors. Potentially sensitive issues include the requirement that the commission issue at least five operator permits when enough qualified applicants exist, the use of geolocation and criminal background checks, the licensing of key personnel and technical employees, and the transfer of excess sports wagering account funds to the general fund. Charitable gaming and pari-mutuel stakeholders may also be attentive to the bill’s fee structures, reporting requirements, and the commission’s expanded enforcement authority.