Casper council approves six-month moratorium on new simulcasting gaming establishments

The Casper City Council voted July 7 to impose a temporary six-month moratorium on the establishment of new simulcasting gaming establishments in the city, a measure supporters said will give staff and council time to develop a local permit and zoning framework that aligns with newly effective state law.

City Manager Janine Jordan summarized the working group’s recommendations before the vote: update zoning to reflect statute changes effective July 1, create a local permit requirement for simulcast gaming establishments, and allow neighborhoods to request land-use restrictions for their areas. “Those very briefly three recommendations are 1 to update zoning codes to reflect current statutes … number 2 to create a local permit requirement … number 3 to allow neighborhood land use restrictions upon request,” Jordan said.

Vice Mayor Kyle Gamroth, a lead supporter, said the moratorium is a blunt tool but a necessary runway for council and staff to gather expertise and design a more targeted approach. “I feel like we are not informed enough at this point to approach this in a really data driven way,” Gamroth said, adding the pause would allow the council to “develop that expertise, to solicit input from people that do have that expertise.”

Opponents warned the city risked legal challenge if the moratorium is not narrowly tailored. Councilor Sweeney cited case law and a judicial view that municipal zoning is not an appropriate vehicle to restrict competition, arguing a broadly worded probationary ordinance can be vulnerable in court. “Municipal zoning authority is not a proper vehicle to control or restrict competition,” Sweeney said, summarizing a legal concern raised in prior cases and urging caution and more study of other municipal ordinances such as Rock Springs’ recent approach.

Several councilors said the pause is intended to allow work on a permit process and ordinance language that could include grandfathering for existing operations and geographic tailoring. Councillor Pollock and Councillor Bond said they supported a moratorium as a means of buying time to complete that work but expressed openness to narrowing the scope geographically if council decides to do so later.

The council debated whether to table consideration to a later date but were advised by the city attorney that a motion to continue to a date certain would be limited by Robert’s Rules (practically to the next meeting). Staff and the working group can continue drafting ordinance language regardless of whether a moratorium is in place.

On the final tally the clerk reported: “With Councillors Jensen and Sweeney voting nay and all others voting aye, the motion passes.” The moratorium passed and gives the city six months (with the ability to conclude earlier) to prepare permitting, zoning updates and neighborhood-request processes tied to the new state statute.

What happens next: staff and the working group will draft specific permit and zoning language, and the council has signaled it expects to work with stakeholders — including downtown business associations and neighborhood groups — before returning any permanent regulations to a future council meeting.