Wyoming Downs Race Track · Evanston

Year Opened

2014

Hours

Live race meet (summer); year-round simulcast

Age Restriction

21+

Property Type

Racino

Regulator

Wyoming Gaming Commission

Operator

Eric Nelson

Loyalty

Winners Circle Club

Wagering

Pari-mutuel & OTB

About Wyoming Downs Race Track

Wyoming Downs Race Track is a horseracing facility at 10180 Wyoming 89 in Evanston, Wyoming, just off Interstate 80 in the southwestern corner of the state. The track reopened in its current form in 2014 under owner-operator Eric Nelson and runs as a racino, meaning it combines live pari-mutuel horseracing with year-round off-track betting on simulcast events. The Wyoming Gaming Commission licenses the operation, and the minimum wagering age is 21. The venue serves a regional audience that stretches from Evanston west into Utah and east toward Green River, with Salt Lake City an 80-minute drive away.

The Wyoming Downs brand has been associated with horseracing in the area since the 1980s, with several operational pauses in its history. The current chapter has emphasized rebuilding the live meet around weekend cards in the summer, paired with a steady year-round simulcast room and OTB locations across the state. For Wyoming travelers, this is one of a small handful of racinos on the map and the only one currently offering live racing.

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Wyoming Downs Race Track

Evanston, Wyoming

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Wyoming Downs Race Track in Evanston, Wyoming

Racing and Wagering on the Floor

The headline product at Wyoming Downs is horseracing. The live meet runs during summer weekends, with a mix of thoroughbred and quarter horse cards depending on the date. Outside the live meet, simulcast wagering on major North American tracks fills the room: races from Saratoga, Del Mar, Churchill Downs, Santa Anita, and other tracks are available, along with the typical menu of straight bets (win, place, show) and exotic bets (exacta, trifecta, pick-3, pick-4).

There are no slot machines or live table games here, which is the single biggest difference between Wyoming Downs and the tribal casinos at Wind River. If your interest is blackjack or slots, this is the wrong venue. If you bet horses or have ever wanted to watch a live race meet, this is one of the only Wyoming options on the calendar.

Amenities and Visit Practicalities

Amenities at Wyoming Downs are deliberately spare: self-parking on a large lot, an attached RV park for travelers, and the facility’s restaurant and concessions during live race days. There is no on-site hotel, so overnight visitors typically book in Evanston proper, about 10 minutes east on I-80. The property does maintain an events calendar tied to the racing schedule, with derby-day watch parties, charity meets, and concert nights scattered through the season.

★ Editor take

Niche, regional, and worth knowing about if you bet horses

Wyoming Downs is not a casino in the table-and-slots sense. It is a racetrack with an OTB room, and judged on that basis it is the only show in the state. The live summer meet is short, the simulcast room is the year-round draw, and the Winners Circle Club gives regulars a reason to come back. For anyone planning a Salt Lake to Cheyenne road trip on I-80, the property earns a stop if a stakes race lines up with your travel day.

See Evanston casinos → All Wyoming gaming venues

Rachel Mendoza

Editor, California Cardrooms

Loyalty Program and Promotions

The Winners Circle Club is the Wyoming Downs loyalty program. Sign-up is free, members earn free play on simulcast wagering, and the promotions page advertises ongoing offers tied to the race calendar. Major-event days such as Kentucky Derby Saturday or Breeders’ Cup weekend draw the biggest promotional pushes. Facebook and Instagram are the two active social channels and the most reliable source for current promotion dates.

Location, Regulation, and Getting There

The track sits at 10180 Wyoming 89, accessed from I-80 via the WY-89 exit on the west side of Evanston. The Wyoming Gaming Commission regulates pari-mutuel operations under state racing statutes, and the venue is fully licensed for both live meets and simulcast wagering. Sportsbook activity is legal at the state level in Wyoming, but Wyoming Downs operates as a pari-mutuel racing facility rather than a sportsbook, so traditional sports wagering is not offered here.