CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to set a June 2 public hearing on a proposed 180-day moratorium on new historic horse racing and gambling establishments.
The move came just over a half-hour after a pre-meeting briefing by Nick Larramendy, executive director of the Wyoming Gaming Commission, detailing a rapidly shifting regulatory landscape. During the 5 p.m. session with the council, Larramendy said Casper hosts eight off-track betting locations with 516 active historic horse racing terminals. The venues generated $2.3 million for the city in 2025.
Larramendy spoke about new state legislation, Senate File 45, which returns local control to municipalities by requiring city approval for such venues starting July 1. Historically, approvals were handled strictly at the county level, often through resolutions that allowed operators to open multiple locations under a single permit.
“Senate File 45 at least gives you all some things that you can look at to where you can say no if you choose to say no as long as it fits within the criteria of that statute,†Larramendy said.
The proposed 180-day moratorium is intended to give city staff and the council working group time to evaluate proper zoning, spacing and buffering requirements for future venues. City Attorney Eric Nelson clarified that the freeze would specifically target new historic horse racing businesses rather than the “skill-based†games often found in local bars and restaurants.
Councilor Gena Jensen questioned why the city is getting involved in the market, calling the machines a type of adult entertainment.
“I don’t feel like the city should tell somebody whether or not when it’s an entertainment,†she said. “It’s no different than kids sitting in Old Chicago or a pizza place playing their video game.â€
Larramendy did caution that the current draft of the city’s ordinance might be too broad, potentially covering unintended activities.
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“The way that I read it, realistically, it looked like potentially Troopers Bingo could be banned from operating,†he warned, suggesting the city use more specific terminology.
Nelson acknowledged the concerns, saying city staff would refine the language before the ordinance’s first reading to make it “more succinct and less apt to misconstruction.â€
During the regular session, the council voted unanimously to establish June 2 as the official public hearing date to consider the moratorium.
The approval was part of a consent agenda that also included setting June 2 as the public hearing date for an ordinance amending city laws for mobile vendor parking. The city is proposing to eliminate the current rule that restricts food trucks to a maximum of 10 days per month on a single block face. The updated ordinance would allow up to two mobile vendors per block and replace the $25 per-spot fee with a flat $25 permit fee, streamlining the process just in time for summer.
City documentation on both items are attached below:
