Cheyenne flags $3.2M historic horse-racing revenue and seeks more say over new venues
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Summary
Council member Dr. Mark Rene reported the city received $3.2 million from historic-horse-racing revenue last fiscal year, said nine venues already operate in the county with a tenth developing near Cherry Bison Ranch, and noted the city lacks siting authority because approvals run through the state gaming commission and the county commission.
Cheyenne received $3.2 million in historic-horse-racing revenue in the last fiscal year, and council members say the city currently has little control over where new facilities are sited, Dr. Mark Rene said in a November update.
"Our city received $3,200,000 in historic horse racing revenues for the last fiscal year," Dr. Rene said. He explained the payment represents the city’s 0.5% share of wagers and, on that basis, calculated roughly $640 million was wagered in Laramie County from July 2024 to June 2025.
Dr. Rene said the county currently has nine historic-horse-racing venues, a tenth is in development near Cherry Bison Ranch, and seven of the projected ten will be inside city limits. He noted that approvals for those facilities have been handled through the state gaming commission and the county commission, and that the city has limited authority over siting and approvals as a result.
To address that limit, Dr. Rene said he has been working with the Wyoming Association of Municipalities and the Wyoming County Commissioners Association to seek a change in state statute so that Cheyenne would have more input into decisions about new historic-horse-racing facilities.
The transcript does not include draft statutory language, a legislative sponsor, or a schedule for pursuing changes; it records the council member’s advocacy and the revenue figures reported to the city.