Committee advances draft to centralize problem‑gaming funding; members split on who should administer it

Lawmakers reviewed a working draft (27 LSO 00096, working draft v0.4) to create a dedicated ‘responsible gaming and problem gambling’ account funded from existing gaming revenue distributions. Tamara Reveille of the Legislative Service Office explained the bill does not create a new tax but redirects portions of currently distributed state gaming receipts and creates a continuously appropriated account administered by the Wyoming Gaming Commission, with reporting to the Joint Appropriations Committee.

Reveille said the account could collect transfers from online sports wagering, historic pari‑mutuel events, simulcasting source market fees and skill‑based amusement games, and listed eligible uses: public education and outreach; prevention, treatment and recovery support; training for licensees and providers; research and evaluation; helpline and self‑exclusion program support; and administrative expenses. “This would create a dedicated account…and it would be administered by the Wyoming Gaming Commission,” Reveille said as she walked through statutory cross‑references in the draft.

Committee members raised two central issues. First, several members and public witnesses (including Wyoming Behavioral Health and county prevention staff) argued that clinical delivery and public‑health expertise belong at the Department of Health, which already manages county prevention specialists and clinical partners. Second, members questioned whether the funds should be continuously appropriated to the administering agency or held subject to legislative appropriation and oversight.

Director Nick Laramundi of the Wyoming Gaming Commission told the panel the commission supports funding but lacks clinical staff and would likely rely heavily on contracting for services; he warned that housing the program inside a regulator could dilute program value due to contracting overhead. He added the commission already partners with telehealth provider Kindbridge and meets monthly with Department of Health staff on responsible‑gaming coordination.

Several members proposed drafting options: (a) keep the account at the commission but subject it to legislative appropriation or a cap, (b) house administration with Department of Health while keeping the commission as liaison for industry engagement, or (c) sweep additional sources (for example, lottery unclaimed prize money) into the account. LSO presented rough fiscal examples showing a 15% carve‑out of certain distributions would have yielded an estimated $1,325,149 in 2025.

What’s next: The committee asked LSO to prepare clean drafts and data: options for appropriation language (continuous appropriation vs legislative appropriation, and possible caps or block appropriations), the fiscal impact of sweeping lottery unclaimed prizes (statutory constraints were noted), and county‑level capacity for delivering clinical services; the committee signaled conceptual support for placing clinical delivery with the Department of Health with the commission remaining a partner.