Wyoming Casinos

Wyoming’s casino market is small by any measure. The state’s gaming is built around two distinct pillars: tribal gaming on the Wind River Reservation in central Wyoming, operated by the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes, and Wyoming Downs in Evanston, a pari-mutuel horse racing facility near the Utah border. There are no commercial casino resorts, no tribal compact gaming at the scale seen in neighboring South Dakota or Oklahoma, and no active push for large-scale commercial gaming authorization.

The Wind River Reservation is the geographic and economic center of Wyoming’s casino market. The reservation covers a large area of Fremont County in central Wyoming and is the only federally recognized tribal territory in the state with active gaming operations. Riverton and Ethete are the primary communities on or adjacent to reservation land where gaming facilities operate.

Wyoming became notable in 2021 for legalizing mobile sports betting through standalone legislation without having an established casino market as the foundation, a path that influenced how other small-market states approached sports betting authorization.

Wind River Reservation Gaming

The Wind River Reservation is home to multiple tribal gaming facilities operated under Indian Gaming Regulatory Act compacts with Wyoming.

Wind River Reservation casino properties

W

Wind River Casino[47]

Riverton

24/7 · Hotel

L

Little Wind Casino

Ethete

24/7

7

789 Casino

Riverton

24/7 · Bingo

S

Shoshone Rose Casino

Fort Washakie

24/7

Little Wind Casino in Ethete is a smaller gaming facility on the northern part of the reservation. Ethete is the primary Northern Arapaho community on the Wind River Reservation. 789 Casino in Riverton is another tribal gaming operation on reservation land near the Riverton community. Shoshone Rose Casino in Fort Washakie serves the Eastern Shoshone community. Fort Washakie is the seat of the Eastern Shoshone tribal government and sits at the northern edge of the reservation near Lander.

The Wind River Reservation’s multiple gaming facilities reflect the joint governance structure of the reservation, where the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes share territory and each maintain separate governmental and economic institutions while cooperating on reservation-wide affairs.

Wyoming Downs: Horse Racing in Evanston

Wyoming Downs in Evanston is a pari-mutuel horse racing facility in the southwestern corner of Wyoming, near the Utah border and accessible from Salt Lake City. The track runs a live quarter-horse and thoroughbred racing season and operates year-round simulcast wagering on races from other tracks across the country. Evanston is positioned on I-80 at the Wyoming-Utah border, which gives Wyoming Downs access to both Wyoming residents and Utah travelers, since Utah has no legal pari-mutuel wagering.

Wyoming Downs pari-mutuel racing

W

Wyoming Downs Race Track

Evanston

Wyoming Downs does not operate a casino floor with slots or table games under the current authorization structure. It is a racing and simulcast facility. The Wyoming Pari-Mutuel Commission regulates racing under the state’s horse racing framework.

Wyoming Gambling Law and Regulation

The Wyoming Gaming Commission oversees tribal gaming compacts and mobile sports betting licensing. Wyoming has no commercial casino licensing framework outside of tribal gaming. The Wyoming Pari-Mutuel Commission handles horse racing.

Quick Visitor Reference

• Riverton / central Wyoming: Wind River Casino and reservation gaming facilities
• Fort Washakie / Lander area: Shoshone Rose Casino (Eastern Shoshone)
• Ethete: Little Wind Casino (Northern Arapaho)
• Evanston / Utah border (I-80): Wyoming Downs horse racing and simulcast
• Sports betting: Legal mobile statewide; minimum age 21; no retail sportsbooks
• Minimum age: 18 at tribal casinos; 21 for sports betting apps; 18 for lottery
• No commercial casinos: Wyoming has tribal gaming only; no commercial casino licensing
• No large resort casinos: Wind River properties are the full extent of Wyoming’s casino market