Casper council advances six-month moratorium on new simulcasting establishments to study downtown impacts

The Casper City Council voted on June 16 to adopt a temporary six-month moratorium on the establishment of new simulcasting (historic horse-racing) facilities within city limits so staff and council can study how best to regulate location and operations, particularly in the downtown Old Yellowstone area. The ordinance passed on second reading with one councilor recorded as voting against it.

Councilors and staff said the pause will allow time to complete work from a council-established working group and consider whether impacts are best addressed through zoning and land-use rules, licensing conditions, liquor-license standards or some combination. City Manager Janine Jordan told the council the working group had reviewed local maps, calls-for-service data and income information without finding a single clear geographic trend but reported that roughly 65% of surveyed property owners in the Downtown Development Authority supported a moratorium.

Why it matters: Council members who supported the moratorium said current zoning and regulatory tools were not designed for the recent rapid growth of the industry and that a temporary pause would preserve the council's ability to create deliberate, predictable rules. Opponents and industry representatives cautioned the council against broad exclusion that could run afoul of state statute and urged any temporary bar be narrowly targeted to the downtown area.

Industry counsel and statutory limits: A representative who identified herself as Afy of Brownstein (representing industry clients) briefed the council on Senate File 45 and on statutory limitations for local control. She said the law allows local authorities to impose reasonable conditions (for example, hours of operation or designated terminal placement within a facility) but that the legislature deliberately constrained local governments' power to exclude new operators without specific statutory grounds. Afy asked the council's working group to "limit [a] temporary moratorium to that geographic region" if it moved forward and warned that broad, jurisdiction-wide exclusion could create legal and market consequences.

Downtown concerns and public testimony: Melissa Hugat, executive director of the Casper Downtown Development Authority, told the council the DDA supports a temporary moratorium focused on downtown. "Placement of these establishments in downtown would further put strains on parking," she said, urging intentional planning to protect years of investment in downtown infrastructure and identity.

Council deliberations and vote: Council debate acknowledged two themes: the need for time and a regulatory framework versus concerns about precedent or unintended consequences. One councilor told colleagues, "I personally am going to continue supporting it towards the next reading to give us what I think is time that we need to meet and discuss," reflecting the majority view. The ordinance passed on second reading with one no vote recorded (Councilor Sweeney); the council instructed staff to return with recommended regulations and with answers to practical questions (including grandfathering, sale or transfer effects on existing operators, and the moratorium's geographic scope).

What happens next: The moratorium is temporary and intended to buy time for staff and the working group to recommend targeted zoning or licensing changes that address compatibility, parking and public-health concerns without unduly restricting lawful commerce. Council members requested additional detail on how a moratorium would affect existing businesses and potential buyers or lessees; staff will report back at upcoming meetings.

Provenance: This article is based on council discussion, staff report and public testimony recorded June 16, 2026 (public comment and working-group report; comments from Afy of Brownstein and Melissa Hugat).