Legal sports betting has begun in Wyoming, as the Cowboy State’s online-only model went live on Wednesday after a regulator authorized two digital sportsbooks to start taking wagers.
The Wyoming Gaming Commission approved applications from BetMGM and DraftKings Inc. to act as online sports wagering operators in the western state.
Both sportsbooks now say they’ve launched in Wyoming, which allows for bettors as young as 18 years old.
"We're ecstatic that BetMGM is one of the first mobile sports betting platforms to launch in Wyoming, just in time for the start of the football season," BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said in a press release. "Wyoming is an important state for us as we continue to expand BetMGM's footprint in the West. We're confident that its sports fans will enjoy the BetMGM experience."
Wyoming has joined the party!
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) September 1, 2021
Our mobile sports betting app is now live in 12 states ????
See the status of your state: https://t.co/dl6fKClqA8 pic.twitter.com/7oM4SROPp3
For BetMGM, the product of a partnership between MGM Resorts International and Entain Plc, Wyoming is now the 14th market in which it operates. For DraftKings, the state is the 13th in which its online sportsbook is available.
The launch in Wyoming comes after Gov. Mark Gordon signed a bill into law in April that legalized online sports wagering and participation in fantasy sports contests starting on September 1. It was then left up to the Wyoming Gaming Commission to regulate and implement sports betting in the state by that date.
Wyoming has the smallest population of any state and the amount of wagering is likely to reflect that fact. However, the state’s model for legal sports betting has unique features that could inspire others if they prove successful.
Cryptocurrency accepted
For example, Wyoming’s sports-betting rules allow for players to fund their accounts with digital currencies such as Bitcoin — which is reportedly a first for legal wagering states — and the tax sportsbooks will be charged is relatively low, at 10 percent of revenue. The state's legalization law also allows for a wide variety of sports to be wagered on, so long as the majority of participants are 18 years of age or older.
Additional operators could enter the market as well, as the law governing sports betting in the state calls for a minimum of five operators. However, that only applies if there is a "sufficient number" of qualified applicants.
“Per state regulations, Wyoming joins Virginia as the second state this year to permit direct mobile licensing, allowing mobile operators such as DraftKings, which generate a majority of sports betting revenue, to be licensed independent of any tethering to a land-based casino or other brick-and-mortar establishment,” DraftKings noted in its press release. "The DraftKings Online Sportsbook comes to Wyoming after the company launched its popular daily fantasy product there nine years ago."
