Wyoming Sports Betting Apps

Wyoming sports betting apps will be coming to the state after HB 133 passed on April 5, 2021. The bill requires Wyoming’s Gaming Commission to have sports betting up and running by September 1, 2021, so Wyoming bettors will be able to place mobile sports bets around the beginning of the 2021 NFL season. Here’s what bettors need to know about sports betting in Wyoming. 

After Wyoming passed its sports betting bill, responsibility for creating industry rules and guidelines fell to Wyoming’s Gaming Commission. Here are the main milestones left: 

Review Of Top Wyoming Sports Betting Apps 

We don’t know who’s applied for mobile sports betting licenses yet. We won’t know until the rules have been finalized and the licensing requirements are set in stone. But we can speculate about the most likely sportsbooks Wyoming bettors will see in late 2021. The most likely early entrants to Wyoming’s sports betting industry are the following: 

• DraftKings – 20% Deposit Bonus up to $1,000
• FanDuel – $1,000 Risk-Free Bet
• BetMGM – $600 Risk-Free Bet
• BetRivers – 100% Deposit Match up to $250
• PointsBet – Two Risk-Free Bets up to $2,000

These five sportsbooks are in most of the United State’s legal sports betting markets. They’re among the largest sportsbook brands, making them prime candidates for Wyoming’s first sportsbooks. Since they’re large operators, they also have the money and legal talent to apply for and secure sports betting licenses. All five of these sportsbooks also offer sports betting through their apps and websites. So, they’ll be easy for bettors to access if these sportsbooks launch in Wyoming. 

Most of these sportsbooks also have retail locations. But because Wyoming’s casinos are owned by the North Arapaho tribe, retail sportsbooks will come from either homegrown sportsbooks started by the tribal casinos or through partnerships with a major sportsbook brand. A partnership is more likely and matches most of the other retail sportsbook deals in the rest of the country. When the tribal sports betting rules are approved, DraftKings and FanDuel will be the most likely retail sportsbook candidates. 

All Prospective Wyoming Sports Betting Apps

How To Place A Bet In Wyoming

Placing a bet in Wyoming will be easy for tech-savvy bettors. But for anyone who needs a quick walkthrough, here’s how to do everything from choosing a sportsbook to betting on one. 

How To Choose A Wyoming Sports Betting App 

Wyoming’s Gaming Commission will likely have a page for approved sportsbooks. However, bettors can also look for sportsbook apps on the iOS Apple Store or Google Play store. Bettors can also check their desired sportsbook’s website to see whether it’s available in Wyoming. 

How To Register An Account 

Bettors will find the account registration option in the top right corner of the screen. Registration is easy. Bettors just have to follow the three steps sportsbooks lead them through. They’ll include entering personal information, all or part of a bettor’s social security number, and setting account security questions. If bettors have a promo code, they’ll enter it during registration. 

How To Deposit 

After bettors create their accounts, there will be a deposit option in place of the registration option. Bettors click the deposit button, select the desired deposit method and amount, then complete the transaction. 

How To Verify Location 

Most sportsbooks verify bettors’ locations automatically. If bettors’ locations haven’t been verified, sportsbooks will offer an option to try it again. Bets won’t go through if the sportsbook hasn’t verified that a Wyoming bettor is in Wyoming. 

How To Place A Bet

To place a bet, bettors must have money in their accounts. Then, they click the odds they want to put money on. After that, bettors select how much they’d like to wager. Once their bets are placed, bettors confirm their selections and hope for the best.  

Wyoming Legal Sportsbooks 

Wyoming’s legal, licensed sportsbooks will be safer than anything bettors will find offshore or illegally. Sportsbooks hold onto sensitive bettor data, like social security numbers, identity information, and banking information. Licensed sportsbooks have security requirements and oversight. Illegal and unlicensed sportsbooks don’t. The safer choice is clear. 

However, bettors will have to pay taxes on their winnings at legal sportsbooks. It counts as revenue, so it needs to be included in bettors’ taxes. If bettors win $600 or more, then their sportsbook will report those winnings to the IRS. Successful sports bettors must stay on top of their winnings.  

Wyoming Sports Betting Revenue 

Wyoming has been reluctant to project sports betting revenue. The Wyoming Gaming Commission states that Wyoming’s revenue increase from sports betting is “indeterminable.” It has estimated the market size to be $449 million; however, that’s not necessarily annual revenue. That’s just how much money there may be to be had in Wyoming. It’s the total size of the pie, but bettors won’t necessarily wager that much each year. If the market size estimation is correct, then that will likely be the maximum amount of revenue that bettors will wager. Wyoming’s cut of profits will be far less than that. 

How Wyoming Compares To Other States

Wyoming is expected to be a small sports betting industry compared to the rest of the country. Anyone who’s been to Wyoming will understand why. There are more cows than people in Wyoming by a factor of two. But Wyoming’s sports betting market will have some interesting features. 

First, Wyoming will allow more sportsbooks than many states. While some states like Maryland will allow many sportsbooks, Wyoming will offer unlimited sports betting licenses. So far, the only rule is that Wyoming “shall issue no less than five sportsbooks.” Wyoming may not be the country’s largest sports betting industry, but it’ll have room for many competitors. 

Wyoming’s sports betting apps will likely include major sportsbook brands. So, Wyoming bettors will have access to the most competitive odds and flexible deposit and withdrawal options. Wyoming bettors will miss out on some homegrown sportsbook options that other states enjoy. But Wyoming bettors will have the main betting options available on the market. 

Wyoming Betting Successes And Failures

Wyoming’s sports betting industry has some strengths and weaknesses that set it apart from many other sports betting markets. Here’s where Wyoming is going right and wrong. 

Wyoming Sports Betting Success

Wyoming isn’t placing an upper limit on the number of sportsbook operators allowed in-state. So, Wyoming could have one of the most flexible sportsbook markets. Its strong Republican support and Democratic support also make sports betting an area of bipartisan cooperation. That bodes well for any future reforms or decisions lawmakers may want to make in the future. Wyoming will also chip away at the illegal sports betting that politicians continuously claim is rampant. It’s unclear how large it is in Wyoming, but regulating sports betting is better than letting the Waffle House bookies roam free. 

Where Could Wyoming Improve Online Gambling?  

Wyoming probably won’t be a premier sports betting market. It has too few people, but wealth and interest in sports could make up for that problem. Wyoming’s bigger issue is the lack of major sports franchises and casinos. Retail sports betting won’t be profitable for the State the way that online sports betting will be. While Wyoming’s sportsbook market will be open to many sportsbook operators, only the largest will have the resources to establish a strong foothold in Wyoming. Alternatively, Wyoming’s low license fees could make Wyoming a haven for smaller operators. 

Whichever type of sportsbook operator thrives in Wyoming, Wyoming is unlikely to become a large sports betting market comparable to New Jersey or Pennsylvania. 

Legalization Effort In Wyoming 

House Bill 133, Wyoming’s sports betting bill, was only introduced in February 2021. Republican Representative Tom Walters introduced HB 133 in the hopes of extinguishing Wyoming’s illegal sports betting industry. Representative Walters tried passing a sports betting bill in 2020, but the effort failed. According to him, the first bill’s failure was due to bad timing. However, he spent the time in between bills gathering support for 2021’s renewed effort to pass a sports betting bill. Overall, he succeeded in paving a smooth path toward sports betting legalization. 

There was one legislative hiccup that could’ve derailed sports betting legalization. On its third house reading, HB 133 was rejected 32-28. It wasn’t until after a reconsideration vote that four house reps switched their votes in favor of sports betting legalization. Some house reps were concerned about rising rates of gambling addiction and social costs associated with legalizing sports betting. But the argument that sports betting is happening anyway and should be regulated to protect Wyoming bettors won the day. 

Concerned conservatives were likely won over by the bill’s allowance of online sports betting, but not retail sports betting. The bill wouldn’t add new casinos or turn Cheyenne into a Vegas knockoff. It intends to make an illegal activity safe for Wyoming bettors. 

Timeline Of Wyoming Sports Betting 

Wyoming sports betting legalization only took about two months to accomplish, but there was a year of work before that would secure a mostly smooth bill passage in 2021. Here are the highlights. 

• February 14, 2020 – Representative Tom Walters introduces Wyoming’s first attempt at a sports betting bill. It’s voted down two weeks later 27-32-1. One member abstained.
• March 2020-January 2021 – Representative Walters gathers support for a new sports betting bill. He likely had to overcome concerns about gambling expansion in a conservative state that’s anxious about sports betting. 
• February 24, 2021 – HB 133 is introduced in the Wyoming House of Representatives. 
• March 10, 2021 – HB 133 passes the Wyoming House after a reconsideration vote. Sports betting is now in the hands of the Wyoming Senate. 
• March 29, 2021 –  HB 133 passes the Wyoming Senate. 
• April 5, 2021 – Governor signed HB 133 into law. 
• September 1, 2021 – Sports betting goes live in Wyoming by this date. 

Wyoming Teams 

Wyoming Professional Sports Teams 

Wyoming has no professional sports teams. It’s too sparsely populated and it doesn’t really have room for a giant sports stadium. Cheyenne only has so much room, and it’s at Wyoming’s southern border. It’s not centrally located like Denver is in Colorado. The math just doesn’t work out when there are larger sports markets in other major cities. 

However, that doesn’t mean Wyoming residents are disconnected from sports. Colorado’s sports franchises are popular in Wyoming too. For example, Facebook data shows the Colorado Rockies are the most popular professional baseball team in most of Wyoming. The Broncos also enjoy widespread popularity in Wyoming. But with passionate fans come equally passionate rivalries. The Kansas City Chiefs have loyal Wyoming fans, just like the Diamonds and Dodgers. There are even Cowboys fans in Wyoming. 

Placing a bet on professional sports will be easy for Wyoming sports bettors. Professional leagues are always represented on sportsbooks. Sportsbooks will put NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB lines front and center when Wyoming bettors open their apps. Bettors will also find lines on MLS, tennis, and golf. The most popular professional sports create the core of sportsbooks’ offerings. They’ll be reliable places for bettors who want to put money on some of professional sport’s most intense rivalries to sort out their differences. 

Wyoming College Sports Teams 

Professional sports teams don’t populate Wyoming, but college sports teams manage to fill the gap. The Wyoming Cowboys are the University of Wyoming’s college teams. They’re among the most popular college teams in Wyoming. The Wyoming Cowboys have football and basketball teams that are particularly popular among Wyoming residents. However, any college team that can fill a local college field is a big event in Cheyenne. When sports betting comes to Wyoming, college sports will have to feature prominently in Wyoming sportsbooks. With great popularity comes great opportunities for sportsbooks. 

College sports feature prominently in sportsbooks, anyway. They’re often part of sportsbooks’ featured or live in-play bets. Since Wyoming can expect large sportsbook operators to fill its new sportsbook industry, Wyoming bettors are guaranteed popular college game lines. More importantly, Wyoming’s sports betting bill allows sportsbooks to offer wagers on Wyoming’s college teams. So, bettors will have their favorite teams on Wyoming’s sports betting apps. Other states don’t allow sportsbooks to offer lines on their college teams, so Wyoming bettors who enjoy college betting should enjoy their betting options. 

Other Sports To Bet On In Wyoming 

There’s one popular sport in Wyoming that may not have great betting options. Rodeos are popular in many states with large ranching industries. Cheyenne even has its own stadium for rodeos. However, rodeos aren’t mainstream sporting events. DraftKings doesn’t have a thriving rodeo section. Oddsmakers don’t only have to understand the math behind oddsmaking, but they also have to know the sport well enough to set odds. Even though rodeos are popular events in Wyoming, sportsbooks probably won’t offer rodeo lines. 

Cheyenne Frontier Days would offer a unique opportunity for Wyoming sportsbooks. Frontier Days is an annual festival that includes many events, tours, and concerts. However, the annual rodeo events could be tailored to Wyoming residents. That local promotion fodder may not have the chance to be leveraged. But Wyoming bettors should tailor their expectations when sports betting arrives. 

Wyoming Sports Betting FAQs 

More Resources On Wyoming Sports Betting 

Here are the main resources bettors need to better understand Wyoming sports betting:

• HB 133 – This is Wyoming’s sports betting bill, which sets certain parameters around the sports betting industry. 
• HB 133 Amendments – These are the proposed amendments to HB 133. Some passed and some didn’t, but it adds more detail to Wyoming’s sports betting bill. 
• Wyoming’s Gaming Commission’s Sports Betting Rules – These are specific industry guidelines, like the details of sports betting license requirements.
• Wyoming’s Gaming Commission’s Timeline – The bottom of this page includes an estimated timeline detailing the milestones left before sports betting goes live.