Gambling Laws In Wyoming
If you're anything like me, you've probably come across the many U.S. government laws which cover the whole country when it comes to gambling. They pretty much outlaw the business of gambling or facilitating bets for a profit and they're meant to knock out organized crime and corruption. I don't have any problems with sticking it to the mafia for funding themselves and I especially don't mind because these laws do nothing to hurt us casual gamblers in making a simple bet. There's not one passage written that says that neither you nor I are not allowed to place a simple wager.
There is however, plenty of space left between the lines for each state to write their own gambling laws as they please to either back this national policy up or relax a little on it. My home state of Wyoming is one of those states that has gone ahead and passed legislation on what we can and cannot do in the Cowboy state when it comes to gambling. This guide exists to aid Wyoming gamblers that wish to see for themselves what the gambling laws in Wyoming say, and how they can safely and lawfully bet while in the Equality State.
Now, it's never much fun rifling through the pages of our constitution but I've gone ahead and done it to share with you all right here. 'Gambling' is defined in our state laws under 6-7-101(iii) of the Wyoming Statutes. That's pretty cut and dry except that the law goes on to make exceptions for charitable events and social situations which do not count as gambling. The most important exception for me which caught my eye is found under 6-7-101(E) which more or less means that you can do what you want in the privacy of your own home with friends so long as the house isn't taking a cut. If you don't stick to these exceptions, gambling is a misdemeanor in Wyoming which could get you a fine of up to $750 or 6 months in jail.
To take things a little bit further, Wyoming gets serious when someone starts getting into the business of gambling or running illegal underground betting rings. This is called "Professional Gambling" in the Cowboy State and you really don't want any part of it because you'll be in serious trouble. There are two conditions to meet in order to be considered a professional gambler and they are "(A) Aiding or inducing another to engage in gambling, with the intent to derive a profit therefrom; or (B) Participating in gambling and having, other than by virtue of skill or luck, a lesser chance of losing or a greater chance of winning than one (1) or more of the other participants." If you're guilty of this, you better be ready to have a felony which whips you with up to 3 years in prison and also up to $3000 in fines.
With all this information for you to chew on and consider, you can rest assured that we've at least got a few legal and regulated gambling options in the state outside of private games at the house. We've got a couple pari-mutuel horse racing spots which are pretty good if you like betting the ponies but not much else if you think horses are the kind to let you down. I personally have awful luck with them and don't trust their tails. We've also got a brand new lottery if you haven't noticed which just started a couple of years ago. I've also got bad luck with picking numbers but I blame the little jackalope that they use as the logo which is a mythical animal that I've only seen once. As far as actual casino style gambling, you'll want to check out our Native American tribal casinos which are as close to the real thing you're going to get plus they're entirely legal under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Land-Based Gambling In Wyoming
As I was just saying in the last paragraph up, we've got a few places to go blow a few bucks and forget about the homestead for a little while. As stated earlier, Wyoming's historic horse racing is a big thing for a lot of people and if you don't have my luck, you might actually win something other than a hangover while staring a jipped horse in the mouth. I've yet to catch a charitable raffle or bingo game because I'm rarely invited to them but I hear that folks have been winning tens of dollars while supporting various causes at religious centers. Really, the real betting happens in our Native American tribal casinos, which is where I spend most of my time when I'm out and about. My personal favorite is the Wind River Hotel and Casino. The first thing I noticed about this place is that they have a decent traditional name that has to do with land, sea, water, air or magic or something else of similar sorts that makes for a good name. Makes me feel like I'm about to embark on a vision quest filled with spirits of cocktails I had decades ago. Wind River Hotel & Casino is the biggest casino in the state and has nearly a thousand slot machines, table games and a live poker room that'll knock your boots off. I always swing by when I'm near Riverton and am happy to stay the night in their fancy hotel after tearing up some Texas Hold'em.
Online Gambling In Wyoming
When I'm tired of staring at mountain ranges and driving to the nearest casinos, the internet is where I find my favorite gambling options. It's the one place where I can read all of our laws and then share them with you all here before going to legally collect my winnings off of some poor greenie from Wyoming. We don't have any written words in our constitution that prohibit it, which means that you and I can do whatever we please just like the residents of Wyoming's wild-west past used to do (minus the wagon robberies and murders). Under federal laws, we can place all the bets that we want so long as it's not the business of gambling or facilitating bets for profit. That's where things are complicated for a moment- there are no legal venues on U.S. soil to take our bets- so, we simply just need to find an online gambling site which is located outside of the United States.
If you got yourself to this page, then you're already on the last mile of the dirt road. Within a few clicks, you'll find one of the sites that I like to use for all my betting and see that they're located across the United Kingdom, Europe and Canada. They've been doing this for a long time and I'm only one of millions of other Americans who've been taking advantage of them. They're safe, they're reliable and most importantly, they're entirely legal under our state and federal law.
Popular Gambling Options In Wyoming:
Online Sportsbooks - Online Casinos - Online Poker
If there was only enough time left on this earth to tell you all about one legal online gambling site that's fit for a local in Wyoming, I'd have to take a long deep breath for a slow death and tell you about Bovada. These folks have been in business for decades and been serving up every wagering option under the sun for U.S. residents the entire time. From classic casino games and poker all the way to horse racing and betting on who will be the next president, Bovada has it all.
I'd have to say that I'm tickled the most by their online sportsbook as betting on sports is pretty hard to come by outside of Vegas. The online sportsbook has some of the most favorable odds, moneylines and enough spreads to cover the entire Thunder Basin National Grassland. You can bet on NCAA, NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA and about a zillion other things that you may or may not care about but will be pleased to see is there. Bovada comes endorsed by such top-notch operations as ESPN, CBS Sports and USA Today and I can't say enough about how reliable this online sportsbook is for keeping my payouts coming straight to my home near Farson with checks mailed at my request.
| Best Overall Betting Sites | Sports? | Casino? | Poker? | Horses? | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bovada | YES! | YES! | YES! | YES! | Play Now! |
| BetOnline | YES! | YES! | YES! | YES! | Play Now! |
| SportsBetting | YES! | YES! | YES! | YES! | Play Now! |
Whether you want to bet the ponies, slots, cards or slap down cash on a home bet on the Cowboys with friends, you're going to have be 18 years of age or older in my home state of Wyoming. If you feel like betting on all the zillion things I've told you about on an Wyoming online gambling site, you'll have to be 18 years of age or older as well.
Best For All Gaming Types
