Casper City Council approves six-month pause on new horse-racing simulcasting locations
The Casper City Council voted 7-2 on July 7, 2026, to approve a six-month halt on new horse-racing simulcasting operations in the city.
The action is a temporary pause on approvals for proposed new locations. It does not announce the closure of existing simulcasting facilities, and it is not a blanket prohibition on gambling or horse racing in Casper.
Pause applies to proposed new locations
The council’s decision directly affects businesses seeking approval to open additional horse-racing simulcasting operations in Casper during the six-month period. The available source material identifies the action as a halt on new operations rather than a requirement that current businesses close.
The vote establishes a municipal regulatory pause while the city examines whether further local rules are needed before more locations are approved. The source packet does not include the full ordinance text, so it does not establish the precise date on which the six-month period begins.
Research and possible zoning requirements
According to reporting on the council action, the pause is intended to give the city time to research the current condition of Wyoming’s simulcasting industry. The council also plans to consider potential zoning requirements for new simulcasting locations.
Those steps remain at the research and policy-development stage. The vote itself approved the temporary halt; it did not adopt a permanent zoning framework for simulcasting businesses. The available sources also do not establish whether city staff or the council has begun drafting proposed zoning rules.
The distinction matters for applicants and existing operators. Potential new locations face the temporary approval pause, while the council considers whether land-use standards should govern future locations. The council has not, based on the approved source material, decided what any eventual zoning requirements would contain.
What comes next
Casper operates under a council-manager form of government, with the City Council serving as the municipal legislative body. That makes the council the city body responsible for the July 7 action and for any future legislative decisions related to local zoning requirements.
The known next steps are the city’s research into the simulcasting industry and consideration of potential rules for new locations. No ordinance language establishing permanent requirements, implementation schedule or final regulatory outcome was included in the approved source packet.
Residents, business owners and prospective applicants can follow future council discussion through the city’s agendas, meeting packets, minutes and videos. Casper’s regular City Council meetings are scheduled for the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
For now, the 7-2 vote provides a six-month window in which no additional horse-racing simulcasting locations are to be approved while the city evaluates the industry and possible local land-use standards.
Sources
- Casper Council OKs 6-Month Halt To Gambling Expansion, Cowboy State Daily
- Casper City Council and Manager, City of Casper
- Casper City Council Meetings and Work Sessions, City of Casper