Wyoming line up online casino bill with Michigan used as comparison

Article by : Charles Perrin Nov 26, 2024

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The specter of a fresh online casino bill being submitted in Wyoming is reportedly gathering momentum.

Wyoming Rep. Robert Davis insists he is ready to file for online casino legislation following the results of a positive study carried out by Spectrum Gaming.

The study made some financial projections where online casino revenues would grow from $98 million to $138 million in year 1, then $162 million to $199 million by year 5.

This, in turn, would see a significant ramping up of state tax revenues collected, and this cloud hit $40 million in year 5.

More pertinently, it is thought that greenlighting iGaming in the state wouldn’t necessarily lead to any cannibalization of existing gaming.

Davis has admitted he is hugely encouraged by the data, and he will work on a bill to submit in early December.

Steve May of Gaming Laboratories International believes there would be parallels between iGaming and sports betting, and the latter has thrived in Wyoming over the past few years.

He said: “If this is put on your plate, you’ll be ahead of the game because you’ve been regulating online sports betting for a while now.

“If you do get iGaming, I think it will fall right in line with sports betting.”

Although there were concerns that legalized iGaming would hurt tribal casinos, Michigan was used as the model as a point of comparison.

And Davis insists he is prepared to have discussions with tribal casinos to gauge their thoughts on the matter.

He added: “I don’t really have an opinion on that. There’s a lot of conversations to be had on the logistics of how this could be rolled out. Do they even want to participate?”

As far as legislative sessions are concerned, the 2025 session will get underway on January 6 and run through to March 14.

Prospective bills require a two-thirds floor vote to progress from filing to introduction.

Davis could file a bill that resembles the original one he filed last year, and then end up tweaking it during the committee process.

It is gearing up to be a busy few months for Wyoming, and by the sounds of things, iGaming could be coming to the state sooner than you might think.