Wyoming Sports Betting + WY Online Sports Betting

Much like many states around the nation attempting to pass legislation of legalizing sports betting and online sports betting apps, Wyoming has been met with a bit of resistance along the way. Unlike Utah, which has been shot down with a resounding across the sports betting legislation landscape, Wyoming is at least attempting to move the needle and break down the sports betting barrier. Here’s what you need to know about the current sports betting situation in Wyoming.

1) Is Wyoming Sports Betting Legal?

Wyoming’s chance to legalize sports betting in 2020 came down to a House vote in February, but it failed with against votes winning by a slim margin, 32-27. According to the bill’s author, Republican representative Tom Walters, it was struck down due almost entirely to the nay voters’ personal feelings on gambling. Walters stance was that by regulating the practice in the state, it could be a money-making opportunity as well as a driving force for shutting down illegal gambling in the state. However, those who voted against the bill believed they would be promoting gambling by voting yes. As such, Wyoming remains one of the least gambling-friendly states in the country

2) What Bills are Currently Before the State Legislature?

As of right now, there are no bills before state legislature that would hope to legalize Wyoming sports betting. Bill H 225 from Walters and Sen. Ogden Driskill attempted to legalize online sports betting and the use of sports betting apps, however, it didn’t have the votes this year as the bill failed 32-27 on the House floor.

The bill would have been a good one, calling for mobile and online WY sports betting since there are no commercial casinos in the state. There are four tribal casinos operated by two Native American tribes.Because these tribes can offer Class III gaming, sports betting would have been legalized in these locations.

3) What are the Next Steps for WY Sports Betting?

Walters’ bill was entirely built around a potential online/mobile gambling enterprise. Wyoming has some brick-and-mortar casinos that could, in theory, establish sportsbooks, but they are located on tribal lands far from populated areas. As such, the more lucrative avenue that Wyoming could conceivably take in the very near future is with the mobile route. And the general feeling, even following the strike-down of the bill, is that the vote was so close that sports gambling could be on the table in 2021, if Walters and others gain more support.

There are no sportsbooks in Wyoming, nor does it seem there will be for some time. However, there are four tribal casinos that could perhaps venture into the legalized sports betting territory somewhere down the road:

789 Casino
Little Wind Casino
Shoshone Rose Casino
Wind River Casino

All four are located in the same general area smack in the middle of Wyoming, about two hours west of Casper — one of Wyoming’s bustling metropolises of 55,000 people — and about 2.5 hours from the National Parks in the northwest part of the state. Since it’s so far from those tourist areas, it may be a tough sell for said tourists on making a day trip to the casinos, but if there is sports betting there, perhaps the demand could rise.

4) What are the Most Popular Teams to Bet on in WY?

Wyoming has no professional sports teams and interest in the area is a bit marginal. The nearest pro league franchises are the Denver teams — Nuggets, Rockies, Avalanche and Broncos — and the Utah Jazz. The University of Wyoming, however, has a very enthusiastic following, primarily in football but also in basketball to a degree.

5) Is There Anything Else to Know About WY Sports Betting?

Walters is up for re-election in November, but if he wins, he says he will again work towards sports betting and online sports betting legislation next year. There is no chance of sports betting coming in 2020, but support could grow in the coming months, and more public support could force the wary lawmakers’ hands.

There are offshore sportsbook websites and apps that advertise sports bettors from any state to make wagers, including Wyoming. However, it’s illegal for those sportsbooks to accept those bets. No gambling organizations are licensed at a federal level in the US. That’s up to regulators in individual states and jurisdictions to decide. Betting on offshore books leaves the bettor unprotected, and the books could choose not to pay out winning bets or could close up shop without returning a customer’s bankroll.

What are the Most Common Types of Bets I Can Make in Wyoming?

Straight bet

This is the most common bet type and it is just a straight up single bet on a game. A point spread is determined by the oddsmakers with one team being favored by a certain amount of points. Let’s take a look at an example line below to give a clear indication of what a straight bet would be:

Boston Celtics -6.5 (-110), moneyline -320

at Cleveland Cavaliers +6.5 (-110), moneyline +260

O/U 206

The Celtics are favored by 6.5 points in this example. This means that if you bet the Cavaliers, you are getting 6.5 points, so if the Cavaliers win the game, or lose by fewer than seven points, you will win the bet because of your 6.5-point cushion. On the other side, when you are laying 6.5 points as the favorite, you would need the Celtics to win by seven or more to win the bet.

Final Score: Celtics 102 Cavaliers 98. Cavaliers would cover even though the Celtics won the game because the +6.5 point spread is enough to cover a four-point defeat.

Moneyline Bet

The moneyline is a bet where there is no spread; you are just picking the winner of the game. In the example above, the Cavaliers ML is +260, which means that for every $100 wagered, you win $260 if the Cavaliers win the game outright. They receive the plus side of the moneyline since they are the underdog and picking them rewards you with nice odds since they are projected to likely lose the game. On the flip side, if you bet the Celtics ML at -320, you have to bet $320 to win $100. They are the favorites so if you decide to bet the moneyline instead of the point spread, you are forced to bet additional money to win $100.

In the example above, the Celtics ML would be the winner as they won the game outright. The spread is irrelevant for a moneyline wager.

Over/Under

This is a straight bet wagering on how many total combined points will be scored in a game by both teams. For example, an NBA game may have an over/under of 210 points, which means that the oddsmakers are projecting a combined points total of 210 between the two teams. If you think the teams are going to score more than 210 points total, you bet the over, and conversely, if you think it’s going to be a defensive struggle, you can bet the under hoping that the total points scored equals 209 points or less.

Parlay

A parlay is a bet where you combine multiple bets into one bet and you get increased odds because you only win your parlay wager if all of your bets win. If you do a three-team parlay, you select three different teams from three different games and if you win all three of the bets you hit your parlay for longshot odds (6-1 so $100 to win $600). Going 0/3, 1/3, or 2/3 is all the same and you lose the parlay bet. It’s all or nothing which makes them tough to hit and is more of a home run type bet than a regular straight bet since there’s a chance for a big payoff.

Wyoming Sports Betting FAQs