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Historic horse racing and skill‑game revenue surge drives local payouts, breeders' awards
Summary
Staff briefings showed historic horse racing (HHR) now accounts for the vast majority of pari‑mutuel revenue in Wyoming, with sharp growth in breeders' awards, payouts to local governments and state transfers since 2013.
Legislative staff told the Select Committee on Gaming on June 9 that historic horse racing has reshaped Wyoming pari‑mutuel revenues since its approval in 2013 and now makes up nearly all pari‑mutuel wagering handle.
Karen Vaughn, an LSO revenue analyst, summarized the statutory revenue splits and recent totals: HHR is taxed on total handle; 1% of HHR total handle is allocated to cities and counties (generally split 50/50), 0.4% goes to the breeders' award, 0.25% goes to the Wyoming Gaming Commission for operations and 0.25% goes to the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account (LSRA). For live racing, pari‑mutuel events are taxed at 1.5% with a 0.4% breeders' contribution and source market fees as applicable.
Vaughn noted the growth since HHR's arrival: local governments received roughly $96 million from pari‑mutuel wagering since 2013 and the LSRA has received about $32 million from pari‑mutuel sources over that period. In 2024 the gaming commission distributed about $21.1 million to cities and counties (a 1,764% increase from 2014). The Breeders' Award payments to horsemen climbed from $46,729 in 2013 (partial year) to $8,530,333.42 disbursed in 2024, a reported 1,573% increase over the decade. Vaughn said pari‑mutuel handle and resulting breeder and purse payments have supported racing purses and the Wyoming‑bred incentives that sustain local agricultural businesses.
Committee members asked for the raw tables and packet materials; staff confirmed those figures are in the meeting materials. Members also asked about the definition and operation of "handle" (LSO staff explained handle is total amount wagered, including money bet and re‑bet during play, and taxes are assessed on total handle). LSO staff and gaming commission staff also discussed that payout rates and commission rates (typical HHR operator commission about 8%; live‑event average commission around 15%) determine operator revenue and how purse money is funded.
The committee requested follow‑up materials, including historical spreadsheets and the 2013–2024 revenue tables contained in the meeting packet.
