Rollercoaster For An Approval Of WY Online Sports Betting Bill

• HB0133 to make mobile sportsbooks legal in Wyoming is still around after a surprise fourth vote in the House Appropriations Committee.
• Wyoming could be the first state in the U.S. to offer legal mobile sportsbooks that operate like offshore sportsbooks.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – It was touch and go for a minute in the Wyoming Legislature as a mobile sports betting bill failed in its third reading on Tuesday by a vote of 32-28 to then be reconsidered the next day where it would receive passage with that same tallied number, only reversed to the favorable side this time.

It was certainly a rollercoaster of emotions for all involved to have a bill fail and be revived all within the course of 24 hours within the House Committee of the Whole. But this is great news for Wyoming sports bettors as this particular proposal is one the nation has never seen for the world of mobile sports betting.

The Comeback Conundrum

Maybe Wyoming wants to legalize something that the United States legal sports betting industry has yet to do. Many were quick to think that the initial third reading failure of HB0133 was the end of the line for the bill because typically, most third reading failures in the legislature die out with the vote. But something happened to make lawmakers reconsider.

House Bill 0133 is doing something completely new with its proposal. It’s no secret that residents of Wyoming gamble on sports. They do so through alternate routes but it is most certainly a daily occurrence. With that thinking in mind, one of the most utilized platforms to wager on these events is offshore mobile sportsbooks.

Emulating the way those operations work is what HB0133 is all about. Multiple forms of payments would be accepted via these mobile sports wagering platforms in Wyoming including the very popular Bitcoin among other cryptocurrencies. All sports would be open for betting except wagers involving any player or team that is under 18. The legal age to use these outlets is set at 18 as stated within the proposal which is just another mirror image of the popular offshore sportsbook rule.

“If someone wants to gamble on a sports game, why is it our role to say they can or can’t do that?” said Representative Marshall Burt (L-Sweetwater County) during the hearing on Wednesday.

What’s Next For Wyoming?

Wyoming legal sports betting is definitely something that is very much alive and kicking in the legislature. With this new approval will come more discussions as HB0133 needs to pass in multiple committees of the Senate before landing on the desk of Governor Mark Gordon.

But the sudden revival of this bill and passage by the House Committee of the Whole is a good sign for the future of the industry. No date has been placed on the schedule for House Bill 0133’s next hearing but it should be happening promptly as the Wyoming Legislature adjourns for 2021 on April 2.

News tags: HB0133 | House Appropriations Committee | Mark Gordon | Marshall Burt | Wyoming | Wyoming Legislature