Check out our list of the best Wyoming online casinos below. You can also find the best Wyoming online sportsbooks here.
Best Wyoming Online Casinos
With how popular online casinos have become in the last few years, one almost expects to see a more open mindset towards gambling in US states. While this is true for many states, Wyoming practices the opposite and almost vehemently stands against gambling. To understand this mindset, we will look at the history of gambling in Wyoming and how it influenced what options are available today.
We will also look at the different common elements we look for in the best online casinos. This is especially true when it comes to casinos in Wyoming. When playing at a new online casino, we want to ensure that you access trustworthy and reputable online casinos.
Gambling Laws In Wyoming
Wyoming is one of the states with the strictest gambling laws, prohibiting almost all forms of gambling for years. Back in 1901, all forms of gambling were illegal with the institution of the McGill Act. Lawmakers believed gambling was an “evil act” and wanted to protect Wyoming residents from it.
Several attempts were made throughout the years to fight this Act and bring some forms of gambling back. The leading contenders to this Act were the local Indian tribes. In the 1990s, attempts made by the Indian tribes to open casinos really took off, although the state rejected each attempt.
However, it was only in 2005 that one of the tribes, the North Arapaho Tribe managed to get permission to open tier 3 classed casinos. This was after ten years of legal battles, and it would take 20 years altogether for the first lottery games to be allowed in 2014.
Contrary to what one might think, this didn’t make the state of Wyoming more open to legalizing gambling, as nothing else happened until 2021. In 2021, theHouse Bill 133 legalized sports betting, as long as it’s online. There are no land-based sports betting facilities, and only horse and dog racing is allowed. However, all other forms of gambling are still highly illegal in Wyoming, and we don’t foresee it changing soon.
Online Gambling In Wyoming
This brings us to online gambling and how the state gambling laws of Wyoming influence it. While the Wyoming gambling laws don’t specifically mention online gambling, it’s assumed by the authorities that it’s illegal. However, there has never been a Wyoming resident arrested for playing online. While it’s illegal to have a casino or casino servers based in Wyoming, it doesn’t address offshore casinos and their use.
Offshore casinos are a gray area, as they aren’t explicitly prohibited, nor are they specifically allowed. As such, there are several online casinos available to Wyoming residents. It doesn’t seem that the authorities care about trying to regulate them. We would recommend keeping the risk in mind when choosing to play at an online casino in Wyoming.
Overall, authorities treat online gambling like it’s highly illegal in Wyoming. No real money online casinos are allowed to base their servers in the state. Offshore casinos are more of a legal loophole than being permitted by the state. As the state prohibits gambling itself in most cases, we would advise caution.
Online Casinos In Wyoming
With the strict gambling laws, players in Wyoming are limited to offshore licensed casinos, social casinos, or land-based casinos. We looked at the various definitions of each casino type and what players can expect from them.
Offshore Casinos
When it comes to online casinos, there are only seven states that offer online licenses. These states are New Jersey, Delaware, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Nevada. However, all of these licenses have their own restrictions and can’t offer services to players in different states. As such, there is no online casino that is licensed in Wyoming or has its servers based in the state.
There are quite a few trustworthy and reliable offshore licensed casinos. An offshore casino refers to a casino that’s licensed in a different country. The licenses that are frequently seen in offshore casinos in the US are the Panama, Costa Rica, Curacao, and Malta licenses. Seeing as offshore casinos aren’t explicitly prohibited, Wyoming isn’t stopping their services.
Social Casinos
Another option that is available to Wyoming residents is social casinos. Social casinos refer to online casinos that operate more like a game or app, as it doesn’t allow for any real money gambling. Real money can be used to purchase in-game currency or items, like any other app. Players can also, at times, win real money cash prizes when they participate in events and tournaments using Sweep coins.
As these casinos don’t fall under gambling, there is nothing prohibiting Wyoming players from using the site. Social casinos are perfect if you simply want to enjoy playing casino games and slots.
Land-Based Casinos
Despite the state’s strict no-gambling laws, there are four exceptions to the rule when it comes to land-based casinos. It was the North Arapaho tribe that managed to get permission to build tier 3 classed casinos. After, it wasn’t long before they established four tribal brick-and-mortar casinos. Wyoming residents are allowed to play at these casinos, but it’s often not possible, depending on where you live. The four casinos are located in Riverton, Evanston, and two in Lander.
Common Elements Of The Best Online Casinos
There are several elements we consider when looking for the best online casinos. We consider these factors when evaluating the casino as trustworthy and reliable. It includes looking at the casino’s licensing and security, compatibility, game selection, bonuses, and banking.
License, Security, And Fairness
Ensuring that the online casino is licensed is one of the first things we look at, as it means the casino is also regulated. This provides an extra layer of security, as the casino needs to follow all applicable gambling regulations. It also gives players the option to contact the licensing authority if they have any complaints regarding the casino.
Being online, gambling service providers should always use data encryption and protection software. This is to protect not only the casino’s servers but also the players’ data and payment gateways. We always look for the latest SSL Encryption and other software used.
A great way to see whether an online casino is fair is when they use a third-party testing agency, like eCOGRA. These testing agencies test the casino’s games for fairness and ensure the games operate using RNG (Random Number Generator).
Compatibility
As the age of technology continues to develop and grow more impressive, it’s expected for online casinos to be available on all devices, from Mac and Windows desktops to iOS and Android smartphones. We believe that your mobile casino gaming experience should not lose out on your desktop gaming experience. This allows you to game on the go and to be able to access the casinos from anywhere in the state.
We also look at how user-friendly their interface and gaming platform are. Online casinos should offer an easily navigable site with provider filters, a search bar, and navigation tabs to different types of games. We appreciate a visually appealing website that incorporates simplistic yet exciting design elements.
Games and Software
We want you to be able to choose a casino and stick with it, as there are often more benefits to playing at a single casino as opposed to many. This means the casino should offer a wide variety of games, from slots and table games to live casino games and a sportsbook. There are many different slots and casino games available, like class and 3D slots, as well as Baccarat and Video Poker.
Not only do we want a wide variety of slots, but we also look at the game providers the casino is partnered with. There are many top names in the industry that we look for, like Microgaming, iSoftbet, RealTime Gaming, and more. This ensures that all your favorites are present when you start to play.
Bonuses
When it comes to bonuses, we always look for the best deal, as this is the incentive a casino puts forward to attract players. It’s often the first thing a new player will look at when researching casinos to play at. There are many different bonuses, from the welcome bonus to daily, weekly and monthly promotions. We also appreciate it when online casinos offer VIP programs and cashback. This often keeps a player loyal and makes it easier to keep playing at a specific casino.
The bonus most frequently seen is the matched deposit bonuses. This refers to a bonus you can claim after making a qualifying deposit. It’s also often the first deposit welcome bonus and generally offers a 100% to 500% bonus up to a certain amount. Free spins are sometimes also given with this type of bonus, ranging between 10 and 100 depending on the bonus.
Another favorite is the no deposit bonus. As the name implies, players receive this bonus without making a deposit, usually after completing some form of action. This includes, but isn’t limited to, them signing up at the casino, verifying their information, or referring a friend. A no deposit bonus is usually a smaller amount, ranging between $5 and $30, or 5 free spins to 25 free spins. They also generally have higher restrictions or requirements.
All bonuses have specific bonus terms that need to be fulfilled when claiming the bonus. This ranges from a minimum deposit, wagering requirements, bonus expiry period, winnings cap, and more. We usually look for wagering requirements between 25x and 35x, which is the standard. Anything under or over that is considered as low or high wagering requirements.
Payment Methods
While playing for real money in this state might not be as easily accessible as in other states, it is possible. So we must consider what banking the casino offers. There are several popular payment methods that casinos generally provide, ranging from cards and cryptocurrencies to e-wallets and bank transfers.
The most popular cards to be offered are always Visa and Mastercard, with Maestro, American Express, and Discover sometimes available. Cards can sometimes have a small fee attached and generally take between two and five days to withdraw winnings. Some card companies also won’t accept any transactions with online gambling service providers due to the Federal law, UIGEA, and the illegality of online casinos based in Wyoming.
While PayPal is the most popular e-wallet, seeing as it’s fast and has low to no fees, it’s not always available. Most international casinos will offer e-wallets like Neteller, Skrill, EcoPayz, AstroPay, MuchBetter, etc. There are also some prepaid cards available at times, like Paysafecard. These methods can often act as an intermediary between card companies and online gambling service providers, but some fees might be attached. They can take anywhere from one day to three days to withdraw.
Lastly, bank and wire transfers are the payment methods that take the longest to withdraw, generally taking between two and seven days, sometimes up to ten days. They also almost always charge a fee, usually from the bank’s side. However, it’s generally also the go-to withdrawal method if your deposit method isn’t available to use for withdrawal.
Wyoming Online Casinos
With Wyoming having such strict laws against gambling, it would be remiss of us to say that online gambling is legal. While there are some options for online gambling and online casinos, they fall into a gray area in the legislation rather than being allowed expressively. This means that while no Wyoming resident has ever been prosecuted for playing at an online casino, we would advise you to keep the risks in mind when playing.
There are several social or offshore casinos available, and we decided to evaluate them to find the best Wyoming online casinos. Signing up at one of these casinos is as easy as choosing one from our list, navigating to their website’s “Register” button, and entering your details into the relevant fields. Once you’re registered, you can claim your welcome bonus and start playing.
As we want to ensure you are safe and play at a secure and trustworthy online casino, we evaluated the casinos using specific criteria and common elements. This includes looking at their licensing, security and fairness, compatibility, game selection, bonuses and promotions, and banking options. We then compiled a list of the best Wyoming online casinos for you to look at.