CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Cheyenne City Council has passed an ordinance establishing special districts for historic horse racing centers, making them easier to develop in some areas and requiring city approval to develop them in others.
Historic horse racing centers are facilities where visitors can wager on simulations of horse races that have already happened, but with horse names and race dates randomized. Terminals in the facilities look like slot machines, but have predetermined outcomes that gamblers bet on.
The ordinance updates the city zoning map to include special regional entertainment overlay districts, where historic horse racing facilities can build “by right.†If a developer wishes to build a betting facility in one of these districts, they would only need to seek the usual building permits any other commercial development would need. If a developer wants to build a betting facility outside of the boundaries of the special district, however, they would need to fulfill specific requirements and get city approval.
The districts, in addition to putting entertainment facilities closer together, also work to protect specific areas from the world of gambling.
“A Gaming Center must be located at least 500 feet from any elementary or secondary school, child care center operating as the sole primary use of an independent structure, place of worship or public park or recreation facility, measured in a straight line from the nearest exterior wall of the Gaming Center,†the ordinance states.
A Planning Commission amendment briefly changed the bill to include any childcare facility, freestanding or not. However, the change threatened two currently operating facilities, and a substitution bill reversed the language, grandfathered the two locations in and clarified the approval process.
City of Cheyenne Planning and Development Director Charles Bloom said in a June 15 Public Services Committee meeting that the new amendment would allow the city to evaluate each facility, proposed or already standing, on a case-by-case basis. With the councilors’ discretion, facilities could still be built within 500 feet of a childcare facility if the two buildings were separated by things such as an interstate highway or a body of water, Bloom said.
Ultimately, the district ordinance and its updates give the city more authority over where a gaming center can be.
The districts themselves were chosen to make the most out of specific commercial areas, according to information provided by the city.
“The designated areas promote development that leverages proximity to regional destinations, major transportation corridors and interchange areas to attract visitors, support economic activity and increase vitality across a range of urban contexts,†a city memo said. That memo is included at the bottom of this story.
Previously, Wyoming counties were in charge of litigating where gaming centers could be developed. Legislation passed during the State of Wyoming’s 2026 legislative session allowed cities to take charge of gaming center locations. However, full control does not pass to the city until July 1.
Those districts are overlaid solely over commercial zoning areas, specifically in downtown Cheyenne and along Interstate 25 and Lincolnway. Maps of the new districts are below.
