Casinos in Wyoming

The Best Casino in Wyoming

The Biggest Casinos in Wyoming

Are There Indian Casinos in Wyoming?

Indian casinos are those on Indian reservations that are owned, run, managed, and regulated by the governing body of the respective tribe. Wyoming has four such Indian casinos and they have contributed an incredible amount to the improvement of the communities they support. The first tribe to open a casino, the Northern Arapaho Tribe, the Wind River casino, which stands as the biggest and most popular to this day.

Racinos

A racino is a casino based around a racetrack that hosts regular horse races for para-mutual wagering as well as other kinds of bets, depending on the state laws. These races take place frequently and are a huge attraction for many. Wyoming has no racinos to speak of but does have two horse racetracks, namely Sweetwater Downs and Wyoming Downs.

Are There Cruise Ship or Riverboat Casinos in Wyoming?

Cruise ship/riverboat casinos are casinos that exist on a barge, ship, or riverboat on specific, government assigned bodies of water. In times past, these kinds of casinos were obligated to cruise regularly to remain open. Nowadays though, it’s more of a technicality and thus many water-based casinos simply remain docked. Wyoming does not feature any of these kinds of casinos because the state laws are restrictive of gambling and do not allow non-Indian casinos of any kind.

Full Wyoming Casino List

Wyoming has four great Indian casinos casinos to offer and a wide variety of gambling and betting from horse races to slots, poker, craps, bingo, and much more. Each casino is also located in convenient spots surrounded by other attractions to enjoy, and two of the four casinos offer amazing hotels too. Here’s all you need to know about all the casinos in Wyoming.

Expected New Casinos

The Wyoming legislature is currently looking into a bill that would revise the way legal gambling in Wyoming is regulated and hand some of that regulatory power over to other bodies. The extension of gaming regulation could lead to the expansion of gaming as a whole and be the forerunner to a new commercial casino. It is however, unclear at this point whether the state seeks to use the bill to expand gaming capability or to simply nip illegal gambling in the bud. It is suspected no official decision on the bill will be reached before late 2020 or early 2021.

Gambling in Wyoming

Gambling is gaining popularity in Wyoming and can be done at any one of four fantastic casinos as well as at charitable gaming events held by organizations such as the Rifle Association. State laws around the regulation of games in licensed casinos remains standard in Wyoming. Here are some quick facts you may want to know about WY gambling.

Casino Games in Wyoming

The Wyoming casinos offer many different and unique games. It is important to note however that two of the four casinos in WY only offer slots while the other two offer the variety. You can also take part in a number of charitable games and the state lottery. Here’s a list of games and notable details of each.

Gambling Legal Situation in Wyoming

Taxation of Winnings

The state of Wyoming does not have a state income tax, nor does it tax lottery or gambling winnings. Wyoming is one of the ten states where, for tax purposes, you.re best off gambling, due to minimal or no tax deductions at all. That being said, you may still be liable to pay federal tax and as such need to file your winnings to determine whether you need to pay a small tax fee or not. Here is more information on federal tax.

Wyoming Gambling Laws

Wyoming state law is not very tolerant of gambling compared to some other casino friendly states and it has always been this way in WY. There is still a lot of variety and plenty of options for gambling that are perfectly legal though. Provided you don’t go looking for trouble in an unlicensed facility, you will be fine. Here are some key laws to be aware of.

History

Gambling in Wyoming was considered taboo by legislature for a long time. There was even an act specifically geared at banning any games of chance completely in the early 1900s. This was eventually lifted, and the state has slowly come around since. Here are the important highlights of WY’s gambling history:

• 1901: The McGill act was passed in 1901 as a blanket ban on all forms of gambling as it is defined by the state. This ban lasted for many years.
• 1930: There was an official bill-push to legalize gambling to some extent in this year, but it fell flat and never came to pass and thus gambling remained illegal.
• 1988: In 1988 laws were officially passed to allow Indian tribes to facilitate gambling operations. While the law technically allowed for it, there were many restrictions in place that held Indian tribes back from actually materializing a proper casino.
• 2005: Indian casinos were granted stage 3 gambling rights in 2005 which is when gambling started to gain some popularity in Wyoming. The Northern Arapaho Tribes took the state to federal court and fought a long and arduous battle to gain these rights.
• 2014: This is when the state joined the other 45 states that have a national lottery. As you can see by the date, Wyoming was considerably late to the gambling table and the state lottery too.

Upcoming Changes in the Gambling Regulation

There are no major changes to gambling law expected in the near future in Wyoming. Much of the public is disinterested in the idea of commercial casinos. Many believe this is due to the long history of seeing gambling as a negative thing in the state. Wyoming may in the near future, for the first time ever, institute a gambling regulatory body. This may herald legislative changes in the future that relax gambling regulations, but it is unclear at this point whether that will be the case.