Application Process for Wyoming Sports Betting Operators Begins Thursday

• Wyoming Gaming Commission Opens Sports Betting Operator Application Process 
• National Operators (Barstool Sports, BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel) Show Interest
• Goal for Wyoming Sports Betting Launch September 1, in Time for NFL Season

WY Gaming Commission Opens Sports Betting Operator Application Process

The Wyoming Gaming Commission (WGC) just announced that it will make its application for sports betting operators in its state available on its website starting Thursday, giving potential applicants clear “directives” to follow regarding their licensing process.

Back in April, Governor Mark Gordon signed a bill (H.B. 133) into law that provides for legal online sports wagering in his state, the law allowing for five internet sportsbook licenses, each at a cost of $100,000, with an annual renewal set at $50,000.

Despite Wyoming being the least populated state (less than 600,000 residents), the potential income this new venture creates is enormous, with a 10% tax on gaming revenues expecting to create an in-state sports wagering market estimated at almost $450 million.

The fact is, citizens of Wyoming already migrate out of the state to place bets, an activity that is happening both legally and illegally across their physical borders and online.

Sen. Drew Perkins was one of the Wyoming lawmakers to acknowledge this reality, telling the press early on in the process:

A big part of [H.B. 133] is not to necessarily create a hammer to go after those who are doing it illegally, but more to create a more protected and regulated environment, so when they place the bet and they win, their bets are paid.

National Operators Have Shown Interest in the WY Sports Betting Market

So far, some impressive national operators have submitted formal letters of intent to imply for the Wyoming sports betting licenses, including Barstool Sports, BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel.

SuperBook Sports has also shown interest after recently going live in nearby Colorado with its first mobile app outside of Nevada.

Such attention from these big players is a clear sign that they all recognize the lucrative potential of this newly forming Wyoming sports betting market, a hopeful indicator that everyone involved in the application process will move quickly to meet the aggressive timeline that has been set.

Goal for WY Sports Betting Launch Sept. 1 in Time for NFL Season

Wyoming hopes to join Indiana and Iowa as the third state to go from “legal to live” in less than five months, with their sights set on September 1 as their deadline to launch the operators who are selected.

If met, this optimistic timeline would mean the state could begin taking advantage of all the NFL bets that Wyoming punters would be placed elsewhere.

Like many of the other states now moving towards legalizing sports betting for its citizens, lawmakers in the Cowboy State have grown tired of losing potential gambling revenue to outsiders like its neighbor Colorado and offshore sportsbooks.

As Wyoming Rep. Landon Brown put it:

I can’t open up my phone and place a bet here, but I can go down to Ft. Collins (Colorado) and do it? Why are you allowing Colorado to take all my damn money? This is literally the dumbest thing in the world.