Wyoming lawmakers weigh felony ban on online sweepstakes casinos for 2027

Wyoming's Legislature moved toward outlawing online sweepstakes casinos at the Select Committee on Gaming's early-October interim meeting, where lawmakers took up a draft ban for the 2027 session. WyoFile reported that the committee voted unanimously to sponsor the draft; other outlets, including Covers, reported that no formal vote was taken at the meeting. Lawmakers created the committee in 2025 to work through gaming policy questions.

The draft, 27LSO-0098, would add online casinos and online sweepstakes casinos to the state's definition of professional gambling, which is already a felony punishable by up to three years in prison, a fine of up to $3,000, or both, according to Sweepsy. It covers single-, dual- and multi-currency systems as well as free-play setups that meet its other criteria, and it would also reach companies that support the games, such as geolocation, payment processing, hosting, game content, data and advertising providers.

Wyoming already bars online casinos while allowing online sports wagering and fantasy contests, but its law is unclear on online sweepstakes, and officials have been unsure whether complaints belong with the attorney general's consumer protection unit or the Wyoming Gaming Commission. Commission director Nicholas Larramendy said the draft "makes it very clear that this is illegal gambling."

Industry representatives objected. A lawyer for VGW, the company behind Chumba Casino, called the proposal overly broad and said Wyoming would be close to alone in barring free-entry prize games, while a representative for Bally's argued that online casinos and sweepstakes look almost the same but are different products.

Even with committee sponsorship, the draft would not be law. It still has to be introduced and approved by both chambers, and it cannot be taken up before the 2027 general session begins in January.