The Wyoming House of Representatives has narrowly voted against a bill that had aimed to legalize online and mobile sports wagering in the US state.
Introduced last month, House Bill 0225 failed after being voted down 32-27 in the House, which means that the bill will now be withdrawn from the legislative process.
The vote also means that Wyoming will unlikely legalize sports betting this year, with the state’s current legislative session due to conclude on March 6.
Sponsored by Representative Tom Walters and Senator Ogden Driskill, HB 0225 had focused on legalizing online and mobile sports wagering, with the aim of opening a regulated market no later than January 1, 2021.
Measures set out in the bill included operators having to pay an initial $20,000 for a license. These permits would have been valid for 12 months, after which license-holders would have faced an annual renewal fee of $10,000.
The bill also proposed a 16% tax rate on monthly online sports betting revenue, while betting was to be limited to consumers aged 18 or over physically located inside the state.
Wagers covered by the bill included single game bets, teaser bets, parlays, over-under, moneyline, pools, exchange wagering, in‑game wagering, in‑play bets, proposition bets and straight bets.
At present, Wyoming only permits online horse and greyhound racing bets, as well as fantasy sports contests.