In Wyoming, most forms of gambling are still illegal.
- Wind River Hotel & Casino is the premier Wyoming casino, the largest in the state with the biggest collection of Vegas style games. Join us for a great night out with friends for fun, entertainment and good times! Looking for a unique Wyoming vacation? We are your springboard to adventure in the Wind River Country and your Fun Way to Yellowstone.
- The gambling industry in Wyoming has been growing steadily since 1979 with several tribal-owned casinos, horse racing tracks and lotteries allowing residents the chance to gamble. However, Wyoming online casinos have never been successfully legalized, and currently they remain illegal to host online from within the state borders.
Commercial Casinos in Wyoming. Legal amusement gaming machines are now available at over 300 Operators and Establishments. Get My Free Report Revealing Tribal Casinos in Wyoming. The four tribal casinos in Wyoming are: Smoke Shop and Casino 789 in Riverton, 125 miles west of Casper. Little Wind Casino in Arapahoe, 140 miles west of Casper. Casinos in Wyoming offer either Class II or Class III electronic gaming. Class III gaming machines are traditional slot machines that you would find in states like New Jersey or Nevada. Class II gaming machines are games of bingo with the looks and feel of a slot machine, the spinning video reels are for entertainment purposes only.
However, residents still have the following options for gambling in the Equality State:
- Pari-mutuel betting
- Tribal casinos
- Charitable bingo and raffles
- State lottery
Wyoming has never been a state in favor of gambling and only recently started legalizing casino gambling and the lottery.
Online gambling is strictly prohibited in WY, which isn't expected to change any time soon.
We take a closer look at gambling in Wyoming in our guide below.
Online Casinos in Wyoming
While gambling at the casino or race track is legal in Wyoming, there are still laws prohibiting online casinos in the state. Wyoming isn't very big at gambling, so it will be a long timebefore we see any attempt by the government to legalize it online.
The state has a very small population that iGaming probably wouldn't survive long in, so it's not exactly a hot spot for operators.
Lander Wyoming Gambling Casinos
Interestingly enough, if you want to play offshore on an online poker site, you would not face any legal problems in Wyoming.
Operators will and could have to pay big fines as well as potentially face other charges.
Land-Based Casinos in Wyoming
All casinos in Wyoming are operated by Indian Tribes.
Even though it is the capital and largest city in the state, there are no casinos in Cheyenne, Wyoming. All Wyoming casinos are located on the Wind River Indian Reservation near the center ofthe state.
Two Wyoming casinos, Wind River and Shoshone Rose, also offer some card-based table games. These are the only two casinos in Wyoming that also have a hotel.
On top of offering card games, the Wind River Hotel & Casino in Riverton, WY is the largest casino in the state.
There are no casinos in Casper, Wyoming. However, all 4 of the casinos in Wyoming are located roughly 130 miles to the West of Casper.
The gaming machines at Wyoming casinos don't pay out in cash. Instead, they print out a receipt which must be cashed by a floor attendant or taken to the cashier's cage. You can also make betsvia a cashless system whereby you get a 'smart' card and deposit money to that card's account. The machines will then deducts losses from, or credit wins to your account.
No public information is available regarding thepayback percentages at casinos inWyoming.
Types of Casinos in Wyoming
Wyoming has four tribal casinos and two-horse race tracks.
Residents have the option to play slots, table games, and video poker, but not every casino offers them all.
Indian Casinos
The first tribal casino started operating in WY in 2005 after the Northern Arapaho Tribe fought a lengthy legal battle with the state.
After the state agreed to allow the tribe to build a casino on their own land, more tribes shortly followed.
The tribal casinos in WY are broken down by Class and offer different types of games.
St charles gambling boat. Some of these Wyoming casinos offer Class II bingo-type gaming machines, while some others offer traditional Class III slot machines.
Class II gambling consists of electronic gaming machines which look like slot machines, but are actually games of bingo and the spinning video reels are for 'entertainment purposes only.'
Class III gaming machines operate in the same manner as the slot machines you would find in states such as Nevada and New Jersey.
Pari-mutuel Betting
Wyoming has legalized pari-mutuel betting at two tracks in the state; Wyoming Downs and Sweetwater Downs. Residents can wager on the horses in past and present races.
Horse racing is not very popular in WY with races only being held a few times a year.
All of the tracks had shut down by 2010 due to no one showing up, but came back to life in 2014.
List Of Land-Based Casinos In Wyoming
789 Casino
- 180 Red, Wolf Creek Dr, Riverton, WY 82501
- 1 307-857-9451
- Games: Slots
Lander Wyoming Gambling Casinos
Interestingly enough, if you want to play offshore on an online poker site, you would not face any legal problems in Wyoming.
Operators will and could have to pay big fines as well as potentially face other charges.
Land-Based Casinos in Wyoming
All casinos in Wyoming are operated by Indian Tribes.
Even though it is the capital and largest city in the state, there are no casinos in Cheyenne, Wyoming. All Wyoming casinos are located on the Wind River Indian Reservation near the center ofthe state.
Two Wyoming casinos, Wind River and Shoshone Rose, also offer some card-based table games. These are the only two casinos in Wyoming that also have a hotel.
On top of offering card games, the Wind River Hotel & Casino in Riverton, WY is the largest casino in the state.
There are no casinos in Casper, Wyoming. However, all 4 of the casinos in Wyoming are located roughly 130 miles to the West of Casper.
The gaming machines at Wyoming casinos don't pay out in cash. Instead, they print out a receipt which must be cashed by a floor attendant or taken to the cashier's cage. You can also make betsvia a cashless system whereby you get a 'smart' card and deposit money to that card's account. The machines will then deducts losses from, or credit wins to your account.
No public information is available regarding thepayback percentages at casinos inWyoming.
Types of Casinos in Wyoming
Wyoming has four tribal casinos and two-horse race tracks.
Residents have the option to play slots, table games, and video poker, but not every casino offers them all.
Indian Casinos
The first tribal casino started operating in WY in 2005 after the Northern Arapaho Tribe fought a lengthy legal battle with the state.
After the state agreed to allow the tribe to build a casino on their own land, more tribes shortly followed.
The tribal casinos in WY are broken down by Class and offer different types of games.
St charles gambling boat. Some of these Wyoming casinos offer Class II bingo-type gaming machines, while some others offer traditional Class III slot machines.
Class II gambling consists of electronic gaming machines which look like slot machines, but are actually games of bingo and the spinning video reels are for 'entertainment purposes only.'
Class III gaming machines operate in the same manner as the slot machines you would find in states such as Nevada and New Jersey.
Pari-mutuel Betting
Wyoming has legalized pari-mutuel betting at two tracks in the state; Wyoming Downs and Sweetwater Downs. Residents can wager on the horses in past and present races.
Horse racing is not very popular in WY with races only being held a few times a year.
All of the tracks had shut down by 2010 due to no one showing up, but came back to life in 2014.
List Of Land-Based Casinos In Wyoming
789 Casino
- 180 Red, Wolf Creek Dr, Riverton, WY 82501
- 1 307-857-9451
- Games: Slots
Little Wind Casino
- 800 Blue Sky Hwy, Ethete, WY 82520
- 1 307-438-7000
- Games: Slots
Shoshone Rose Casino
- 5690 US-287, Lander, WY 82520
- 1 307-206-7000
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Video Keno, Blackjack, Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em
Wyoming Gambling Casinos
Wind River Hotel and Casino
- 180 Red, Wolf Creek Dr, Riverton, WY 82501
- 1 307-856-3964
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Roulette, Poker, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em
Wyoming Land-Based Casinos Map
Map
-->Strictly speaking, gambling is illegal in Wyoming.
However, in recent years, lawmakers approved a state lottery. There are two horse racing tracks in the state, Sweetwater Downs and Wyoming Downs. Pari-mutuel wagering on the races are legal at these tracks. People can also bet on racing simulcasts at the tracks and off-track betting parlors around the state. Plus, charity bingo and raffles are legal. Additionally, a handful of tribal casinos with slot machines, tables games, and live poker have been up and running since the tribes fought for the right to run casinos in 2005.
The tribal casinos are the 789 Smokeshop & Casino, Little Wind Casino, Shoshone Rose Casino & Hotel, as well as and the first and still largest, the Wind River Hotel & Casino.
Getting approval for tribal gaming in Wyoming was no easy feat. The Northern Arapaho Tribe, which owns and operates the Wind River Hotel & Casino, took the state to federal court to fight for its right to operate a casino under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.
The tribe claimed that since Wyoming had allowed charitable gaming for fundraising purposes, it should be allowed to operate a casino on tribal land in accordance with the act. In 2005, the court agreed. The Northern Arapaho Tribe set about turning its small bingo parlor into the state's largest casino and gaming operation. There are now 800 gaming machines on the property, featuring some of the most popular slots on the market.
Recently, the North Arapaho tribe argued it did not need state approval to offer sports betting at its casinos. In a statement, the tribe said it conducts gaming under authorization from the US Department of the Interior. No timeline has been released, but it appears sports betting will be coming to the tribe's three casinos in the near future. However, it is highly unlikely that mobile wagering will be offered.
Since it fought the opening of Wind River, the state was left out in the cold when it came to revenue sharing. However, by the time the Eastern Shoshone Tribe started making plans to open the competing Shoshone Rose Casino & Hotel, Wyoming lawmakers got wise. They negotiated a revenue-sharing deal with the tribe. The Shoshone Rose Casino & Hotel is currently open and operating with as many as 400 gaming machines on site.
Sweepstakes casinos in Wyoming
Social casino site options
Since there's no real money involved, people living in Wyoming or visiting the state are free to play on social casino sites all they want.
Social casino games are a multi-billion dollar market. The most popular include app-based games for Android and iOS operating systems. People can download these to a mobile device or Facebook-based apps. These include casino-style games developed by industry leaders such as Zynga, ActivisionBlizzard, KoreanNexon, and Supercell. Social gaming revenues reached more than $1.5 in the United States in 2016. However, Asia remains the largest market with $2.2 billion in revenue in 2015 and more than 500 million users reported.
Land-based slots options
| Property | Location | Number of Slots |
|---|---|---|
| 789 Smokeshop & Casino | Riverton | 200 |
| Little Wind Casino | Riverton | 183 |
| Wind River Casino | Riverton | 800 |
| Shoshone Rose Casino & Hotel | Lander | 400 |
Online gambling options
Online casinos cannot legally operate in Wyoming.
Players may be able to access any number of offshore online casinos from inside Wyoming's borders. However, playing on them may fall into a legal gray area. This is due to the fact that gambling is strictly against the law outside of legalized operations and tribal casinos. So playing slots on these sites would have to be considered against the law as well.
When it comes to gaming, Wyoming is not the most progressive state. It only recently jumped on board with certain ideas other states have employed for decades. The state lottery only became legal in 2013. Tribal casinos came just a few years before that, but not without a lengthy fight.
In 2016, state lawmakers were said to be reviewing all facets of the gaming industry. They are considering establishing a state gaming commission. It would regulate all gambling and consider new operations, online and off. However, no gaming bills were created or commissions established coming out of those discussions. The issue of internet gaming is not on any current agenda for Wyoming lawmakers.
Operator profile
The Wind River Hotel and Casino
The Wind River Hotel and Casino is widely considered Wyoming's premier gaming establishment. It has more than 800 slot machines, 10 live table games, and a live poker room. This is, by far, the largest gaming facility in the state.
Located just south of Riverton, the operation began more than 20 years ago as a small bingo hall operated by the Northern Arapaho Tribe. It has grown into Fremont County's largest employer with 700 people now working there. There is a 90-room hotel on the property, plus two full service restaurants, cafe, and an espresso bar.
The casino runs a number of promotions all year round, a free-to-join rewards program, regular no-limit poker tournaments, and a Bad Beat Jackpot inside the poker room.
Table games available include blackjack and roulette. The more-than 800 gaming machines on the property include video slots, reel slots, video poker, and slots with progressive jackpots ranging from penny slots to $25 machines. This includes some of the most popular slot games on the market today. All the machines use a ticket-in ticket-out system with cashiers, change kiosks and ATM machines available 24 hours a day.
Colorado Gambling
State legal environment
Utah Gambling Casinos
| Permitted/Offered? | Notes & Restrictions | |
|---|---|---|
| Land-based Gambling | Yes | Tribal only |
| Online Gambling | No | 2016 review led nowhere |
| Lottery | Yes | Established in 2013 |
| Charitable or House-based Gambling | Yes | Charity bingo and raffles are legal |
| Minimum Gambling Age | 18 |
