Not every state has a smooth pathway to sports betting. The Wyoming House voted down a Rep. Tom Walter’s H 225 bill to legalize sports betting on February 28.
Walters told Legal Sports Report that many of the people voting against the bill oppose all forms of gaming.
“They felt that by providing a regulatory opportunity it was legalizing it,” Walters said. “I somewhat disagree in saying it’s not illegal but it operates in an underground world because we don’t have a regulatory framework in place.
Since the session ended for the year on March 6, the setback kills any hope for sports betting this year.
The bill as proposed would permit mobile and online betting as the only other avenues that exist for gambling are dog and horse racing tracks. The proposal would have taxed sports betting revenue at a rate of 16 percent with an initial license fee of $20,000 renewable for $10,000 annually.
The bill had no limit to the number of applicants for a sports betting license. DraftKings and FanDuel, which already offer daily fantasy sports in the state, pushed for the bill’s passage.
In addition to tracks, gambling in the state consists in unregulated video gambling terminals in bars.
If he is re-elected in November, Walters stated that he would try again next year.
“I think legislators will go home and their constituents will ask what happened with sports betting,” Walters said. “I think a lot of them don’t realize how much sports betting is taking place. When they get back and talk to their neighbors, they’ll be shocked by how much interest there is in this, and then next year they might be excited to put regulation in place.”
