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Panel weighs professionalizing Gaming Commission; governor urges staffing improvements first
Summary
The committee reviewed a prior draft to convert the nine-member volunteer Wyoming Gaming Commission into a five-member professional commission, discussed tribal representation and budget/appropriation impacts, and the governor's office urged investing in staff capacity before making the board professional.
LSO staff presented background on a previously circulated draft (House Bill 138 concept) that would reduce the Gaming Commission from nine volunteer members to five full-time, salaried commissioners, tighten experience requirements, and change terms and conflict-of-interest rules. The draft included an initial appropriation estimate (about $965,000 in the draft) to support commissioners' salaries and benefits.
Director Laramendi described the commission's rapid expansion in responsibilities since 2012 — from pari-mutuel oversight to historic horse racing, sports wagering, skill-based amusement games, and an investigative law-enforcement arm — and said volunteer commissioners face workload and technical challenges. Committee members asked whether tribal liaison representation should be voting or non-voting; several participants recalled tribal representatives contributed regulatory expertise. The governor's deputy policy director, Sarah Dorenzo, asked the committee to consider staff-level investments first — adding in-house legal expertise or specialized staff — before moving to a professional commission and offered to return with specific recommendations.
