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Legal online gambling in Wyoming

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Checked by Paul P.

Online gambling in Wyoming can be a little complicated. WY recently legalized online sports betting, although in-person betting is still not permitted. Online casinos aren’t legal, yet you can find tribal casinos in the Cowboy State.

On this page, you’ll discover more details about gambling in Wyoming, including what’s legal and what’s not. Our experts bring you all you need to start having fun with gambling in Wyoming. Scroll on to read our full guide to legal Wyoming gambling.

Wyoming online gambling taxes

Wyoming has a few legal gambling options. As of September 2021, Wyoming residents are free to bet on sports online at regulated online sportsbooks like BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Online horse race betting is also allowed via pari-mutuel wagering platforms. 

Daily fantasy sports exist in a gray area, where it’s limited to platforms like FanDuel and DraftKings. Playing at online sweepstakes casinos is also legal, considering you’re not playing with real money. Attempts to legalize online casinos and online poker rooms have failed, so as it stands, both of these gambling verticals are illegal in the state. 

Wyoming does not impose a state income tax, so you’re not liable for state taxes even if you’re playing at online sportsbooks or any other legal gambling options. That said, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does require Wyoming residents to pay federal taxes.

Is the tax rate different for each type of gambling?

All gambling winnings in Wyoming, whether they are from sports betting, horse race betting, DFS, or sweepstakes casinos, are taxed at the same federal rate. This is usually between 10% and 37%.

Even if your gambling winnings are not automatically held back, you’re still liable for reporting all winnings, big or small, to the IRS. In certain cases, the IRS requires automatic withholding at a rate of 24%.

If you win $600 or more when wagering at an online sportsbook, or if your payout is 300x your wager, then the sportsbook must report it to the IRS. However, if you win $5,000 or more, then the sportsbook will automatically withhold 24%. The same applies to all other legal gambling verticals, including DFS, horse race betting, and the lottery.

How does your income affect taxes in Wyoming?

Even though Wyoming doesn’t tax your income, the Federal Government does. The IRS uses a progressive tax system, meaning the more you earn, the higher the percentage of tax you pay on all income, including gambling winnings. 

Here’s a breakdown of the federal tax brackets for 2025:

In a nutshell, the more you earn, the higher federal taxes you’re liable for, but no state income tax applies in Wyoming.

How to pay gambling taxes in Wyoming?

Wyoming doesn’t charge state income tax. You only have to worry about federal taxes. Here’s what you need to do to manage your federal taxes while in Wyoming:

Step 1: Report all gambling winnings

Step 2: Check if taxes were already taken out

Step 3: Gather your records

Step 4: Fill out your tax return

Step 5: File on time

Tax breakdown for players in Wyoming

Here’s a summary of gambling taxes for Wyoming players:

Online sportsbooks 

Daily fantasy sports

Online horse race betting

Online sweepstakes casinos

What happens if you don’t report gambling winnings in Wyoming?

Even though Wyoming doesn’t tax your winnings, the IRS still wants to know about them. If you don’t report your wins, they could come after you for what you owe, plus extra charges. They can keep track of gambling wins, so it’s not worth hiding them. If they find out you didn’t report what you won, you might get a fine. It’s way easier to just report everything, even the small wins, so you don’t run into problems later.

Wyoming offers legal gambling in the form of online sports betting and in-person casino gaming at tribal casinos. Gambling within the state is licensed and regulated by the Wyoming Gaming Commission outside of the tribal reservation. Online gambling WY at sweepstake casinos is also legal, as you’re not technically engaging in real money betting.

Whether you can play online or offline will depend on the game you’re trying to play or the type of bet you’re placing. The legal minimum age for gambling in Wyoming is always 18 and in fact, the state is only one of a few states that has such a low legal gambling age. What type of gambling is legal in Wyoming depends largely on the gambling vertical.                                  

Gambling verticalOffline legal ageOnline legal ageOnline since
Casinos13N/AN/A
Social casinosN/A182019
SportsbooksN/A182021
Social betting appsN/A182019
PokerN/AN/AN/A
Lottery18182013

Online sports betting  Legal since 2021

A growing number of US states have legalized sports betting over the past few years, and Wyoming has recently joined them. The Cowboy State officially legalized online sports betting in 2021 after the Wyoming House approved bill HB133 in April 2021. The bill was then signed into law by Governor Mark Gordon, allowing online gambling WY sportsbooks to be licensed and regulated for the first time.

Once the bill was approved, it wasn’t long before the first sportsbooks launched in WY. Now, there are multiple sports betting sites, all licensed by the Wyoming Gaming Commission and safe for you to sign up to.

Social and sweeps The best alternative to online casinos in WY

Online casinos aren’t legal in Wyoming yet, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the online casino experience. Sweepstakes and social casinos are legal in WY. These sites allow you to play a variety of casino games using coins instead of real money. In the eyes of the law, they’re not technically casinos, so they’re completely legal and don’t need to be licensed by the Wyoming Gaming Commission.

When you play at a sweepstake casino, you can unlock coins and rewards the more you play. Some sites even offer online slot tournaments and prizes too. Just like a standard online casino, you can enjoy games like slots as well as classic table games. You can also choose to play for free or buy coins using your own money. At social casinos there is no withdrawing of money but some sweepstakes casinos allow you to convert virtual currency to cash that you can then withdraw.

Online poker Available at social casinos

Like online casinos, online poker hasn’t yet been legalized in Wyoming. Although you can play poker offline at tribal casinos, you won’t be able to play it online for real cash.

However, there is an alternative way to enjoy poker online in Wyoming. Although you can’t play for real money, most of the top sweepstake casinos offer poker games, allowing you to join tables with other players and play for chips. These sites are completely legal to play at and safe too.

Other forms of gambling in Wyoming

Gambling has always been popular in Wyoming, although it hasn’t always been legal. Today, there are more ways to gamble than ever in the Cowboy State, including lots of alternative options. Lotteries, bingo, and raffles are all permitted for charitable causes, and there’s a state lottery that you can play too.

Daily fantasy sports contests haven’t been regulated in Wyoming, but they’re not illegal either. Considering the fact that sports betting is now legal, it’s very unlikely that DFS would ever be banned. Much of the gambling that you can do legally in Wyoming remains land-based, although online gambling in Wyoming is available too in some capacity.

horse-racing-betting

Horse racing

Wyoming has a long history of horse racing, and pari-mutuel betting has been available since 1967. This allows people to place bets on a horse race, with the winners paid out from the pool of total collected bets. The state has multiple horse racing tracks where you can bet on current races as well as on historical horse racing machines.
daily-fantasy-sports-betting

Daily fantasy sports

Daily fantasy sports allow sports fans to build teams in their favorite sports and compete against other players. Sites such as FanDuel started out offering DFS and now offer sports betting too. In Wyoming, there have never been any laws regarding DFS, meaning players have been free to enjoy them and enter real money contests.
illinois-state-lottery-numbers

Wyoming lottery

The Wyoming lottery was only legalized in 2013, making it the 44th US state to legalize lotteries. WyoLotto is the official lottery for the Cowboy State and offers games like Powerball, Mega Millions, and the Cowboy Draw. Taxes are paid on lottery winnings over $5000, and tickets are available to buy throughout the state.
bingo-card-and-numbers

Bingo

Bingo isn’t that common in Wyoming as there are no licensed bingo halls. However, the state does allow charitable organizations to set up and run their own bingo games. Based on regulations, these events aren’t supposed to make a profit, but players can still win prizes through playing. Bingo for online gambling in Wyoming isn’t available at the moment.

Land-based gambling in Wyoming

Gambling in Wyoming isn’t just limited to online sites. The state does allow in-person gambling in specific circumstances. Tribal casinos have been legal in the state since 2006 thanks to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

At the moment, the state features three Indian casinos, which are located on the Wind River reservation; Wind River Casino, Shoshone Rose Casino and Little Wind Casino. These casinos offer games like blackjack, roulette, and slots and can also offer sports betting.

Aside from tribal Wyoming casinos, you can also enjoy parimutuel betting at racetracks across the state. There are currently four available racetracks, many of which also offer historical horse racing machines. Parimutuel betting was legalized in Wyoming back in 1967.

RetailLaunch dateLocationType
Wind River Hotel and Casino2008Wind River ReservationTribal casino
Shoshone Rose Casino and Hotel2007Wind River ReservationTribal casino
Little Wind Casino2012 Wind River ReservationTribal casino
Wyoming Downs1985EvanstonRacetrack
Sweetwater Downs2011Rock SpringsRacetrack
Central Wyoming Fairgrounds1914CasperRacetrack
Energy Downs2015GilletteRacetrack

Gambling regulators

Regulators work with gambling operators and the government to ensure that laws are followed and the correct taxes are paid. In Wyoming and across the US, gaming commissions and other regulators help keep players protected while holding gambling sites and operators to the highest standards. The Wyoming Gaming Commission was established in 2020 and is responsible for regulating all forms of gambling in WY.

The WGC is the only organization that has the authority to approve gambling operations outside of tribal land in WY. That means that any gambling site you use should always be licensed by the WGC, and those that aren’t licensed may not be legal. According to the commission’s own website, the primary mission of the Wyoming Gaming Commission is the protection of the wagering public and the health, safety, and welfare of the participants in all lawful gaming and pari-mutuel activity.

FAQs

Is it possible to gamble online in Wyoming?

Yes, gambling online in Wyoming is possible. You can legally play at sweepstake casinos and place bets online at Wyoming sportsbooks. Additionally, you can take part in pari-mutuel betting online.

Is gambling legal in Wyoming?

Yes, some forms of gambling are legal in Wyoming. You can play casino games at tribal casinos and enjoy lottery games and charity bingo games too.

Where can you gamble in Wyoming?

In Wyoming, you can gamble at tribal casinos or on racing at racecourses. Online gambling WY is also available at Wyoming sportsbooks.

When did Wyoming legalize gambling?

Wyoming made pari-mutuel betting on horse racing legal in 1967. In 2006, it legalized tribal casinos, and in 2013, it made lottery legal. 2021 saw a bill to legalize sports betting in Wyoming pass through the house and was signed into law. Check out our dedicated section about the history of gambling in WY.

At what age can you legally gamble in Wyoming?

Wyoming law states that you need to be at least 18 years old before you can gamble. This law applies to all forms of gambling, including sports betting, online betting, and casinos.

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