The Wyoming Gaming Commission has voted in favor of a measure that would restrict bettors who harass sports players from gambling. In addition, the commission just greenlit 16 new horse races at a new racetrack.
No More Harassment
On November 22, the Wyoming Gaming Commission approved an amendment that would punish those who harass athletes by placing them on the state’s involuntary exclusion list.
This measure comes amid concerns about the widespread harassment of sports pros, including college athletes, by disgruntled bettors. While a widely adopted measure has been to ban college player prop bets, this hasn’t stopped punters from venting their frustration to players, coaches and support staff involved with professional sporting events.
According to Wyoming commissioners, placing such sports bettors on the involuntary exclusion list would tackle the heart of the problem. The Sports Betting Alliance argued that a simple ban on college player prop betting would only push players to the black market, leading to no meaningful change.
The new rules define harassment as conduct that involves threats of any kind, obscenities, vandalism, nonconsensual physical contact and actions that purposefully seek to cause someone fear or emotional distress.
In the meantime, 13 states have prohibited college player prop bets so far. The ban on such products has been actively promoted by the NCAA, which is concerned about the damage harassment does to younger athletes.
Wyoming Greenlights Races at New Racetrack
In the meantime, the Wyoming Gaming Commission approved 16 race dates for 2025. All of them will be held at Thunder Plains Park, a racetrack located near Cheyenne. The track’s inaugural race is set to take place on August 1, 2025. Additional races will follow on later dates, including ones on August 2, 3, 8-10, 15-17, 22-24, 29-31 and September 1.
These dates are subject to change, the commission noted.
Thunder Plains Park, for context, is a new mile-long track that will bring exciting horse racing events to the area, creating new business and betting opportunities. According to Ryan Clement, managing partner at Thunder Plains, the new track will benefit Wyoming horse racing as a whole and the locale’s economy by creating many new jobs and attracting thousands of tourists.
