On May 14 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 1992 law that effectively banned sports gambling outside of the state of Nevada.

State across the country now have the go-ahead to legalize betting on sports. Given the current financial crunch in Wyoming, could it become a possibility in the Cowboy state?

Senate Minority Leader Chris Rothfuss, who represents Senate District No. 9 from Albany County in the Wyoming Legislature, was a guest May 23 during the “Laramie Live on KOWB” radio morning show with host David Settle. They discussed the possibility of Wyoming trying to get a “piece of the pie,” how quickly the legislature could take action and the impact it might have versus something like the current Wyoming Lottery.

KOWB plans to follow-up this conversation with another perspective from Albany County Senator Glenn Moniz.

According to the American Gaming Association, at least $150 billion dollars is wagered illegally on sports betting in the United States. In an ESPN article the day the U.S. Supreme Court ruling came out, it stated that a record $4.8 billion was wagered at Nevada sportsbooks in 2017.

New Jersey was the state that brought the lawsuit to do away with the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. Wyoming was one of 20 states that filed a supporting brief. Reports are the Garden State plans to be the first new state to offer legal sports betting, with Delaware, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia looking to soon follow.

Will Wyoming be another player? A recent poll conducted by Townsquare Media had 89 percent of respondents saying the Cowboy State should legalize sports gambling.

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