Wyoming Online Sports Wagering Bill Faces Decisive Senate Vote

A bill that would legalize online sports betting in Wyoming is slated to face a third and decisive vote in the Wyoming Senate next week.

You can read House Bill 133 here.

The bill has already passed the Wyoming House, although the House at first voted against the measure on the third reading. Usually, that would mean the bill had been defeated, but in this case, a reconsideration vote was held and the measure was then approved and sent on to the Senate.

Under the proposal, the sports gaming commission would issue a permit to vendors: ''The commission shall charge a fee of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) for an initial sports wagering vendor permit. An initial permit and any renewal permit shall each be valid for five (5) years. The commission shall charge a fee of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) for a sports wagering vendor permit renewal."

A fiscal note attached to the bill says it isn't clear how much online sports betting might raise for the state, but it does say:

''The Gaming Commission indicates that the state’s sports wagering market is estimated at over $449,000,000, dependent upon conversion from the illegal market.''

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So far as what events sports bets could be placed on, the bill says "Sporting event" means any professional sports event or athletic event, any Olympic or international sports event or athletic event, any amateur sports event or athletic event, any collegiate sports event or athletic event, electronic sports, or any portion thereof, including the individual performance statistics of contestants or athletes in sports events, athletic events or a combination of sports and athletic events, or any other event approved by commission rules;"

The deciding vote in the Wyoming Senate will probably be held on Monday, although it is possible that the bill could be laid back for a day or two.