Wyoming - Legislative Update - Policy Check-in Announcement
WPMA continues to be a force at the Capitol in Cheyenne, while no one can ever really replace Mark Larson, Jonathan Downing has ably stepped in to be the day to day hands on voice at the Capitol and our liaison with the regulatory agencies.
Chairman Policky is going to be holding a policy check in meeting in the next couple of weeks. All Wyoming members are invited to attend. (Voting is limited to elected trustees)
After an amazing interim where WPMA participated in the Governor’s fuel pricing review committee WPMA has geared up for the session.
- One of our new grocery partners called about a regulatory discrepancy which forces folks with $230,000k per year in annual grocery sales into an onerous labeling restriction. WPMA has submitted an interim study request to the Joint Agriculture Committee in order to flesh this out. Our issue is the fact that some small grocers are required to do food labeling where other stores are not. The Pertinent regulation is found here: https://health.wyo.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2012foodrule.pdf under section 4-1; "Retailer" as defined by the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) of 1930 refers only to retailers handling fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables with an invoice value of at least $230,000.00 annually. Those retailers are required to be licensed under PAC.
- There has been a large discussion about skill based games and age restricted facilities. WPMA worked to try to make sure that as many of our members as possible were included. We had argued for a minimum threshold of 50k gallons a month in diesel sales as a threshold ( the idea being that truck stops which have the space for age restricted areas were appropriate). The legislature generally wanted to prohibit these in areas where folks under 21 were allowed. Generally locations that allow kids, such as regular convenience stores are excluded. They settled on a threshold of 125k gallons a month in diesel sales.
Some background on Skill Game Requirements (per previous legislation: 2020 HB 171/HEA 95 & 2021 SF56/SEA 44)
Skill games are limited to Four Games per Establishment
- Skill games must be licensed by the Wyoming Gaming Commission and have a decal
- Cost for Vendor license: $2,500
- Cost for Terminal decal: $50 per terminal
- Cost for Establishment license: $250
- Skill games must have an independent laboratory report certifying: Bona fide skill determined by an individual’s level of strategy and skill, rather than any inherent element of chance, is the primary factor in determining the outcome (NOT a slot machine)
- Game play up to $3
- Payout up to $3,000
- Players must 21 years of age or older
- A 20% state tax on skill games is collected on the net proceeds:
Taxes are distributed as follows:
- 45% goes to the city, town, or county of game revenue collected where the skill game terminal is placed
- 45% to the school foundation account
- 10% to the Wyoming Gaming Commission
What are Skill Games?
Skill games are entertainment devices which provide supplemental revenue to Wyoming fraternal organizations, bars, truck driver lounges, smoke shops and other over-21 areas in Wyoming small businesses.
Skill games are based on a player’s strategy, patience, and speed, not on a predetermined outcome. Skill Games are not slot machines or video game terminal (VGT) based on chance, a player can win every single time they play. You will not find Cowboy Skill or Pace-O-Matic manufactured games on casino floors.·
Skill games put the player in control, not the machine.
This involves:
- Memory retention
- Pattern recognition
- Hand-eye dexterity
- Timed execution
About Cowboy Skill
- Cowboy Skill is a partnership of eight competing vendors across Wyoming. They use skill games manufactured by Pace-O-Matic. Our vendors also provide traditional vending entertainment, pool and dart leagues, coin-op entertainment, and ATMs. Our vendors are primarily Wyoming grown small businesses.
- Cowboy Skill Vendors: Brewer Amusement Co., Entertainment Experts, Jenkins Music & Vending Inc. (Rock Springs), Paradise Pinball & Amusements, LLC (Cheyenne), Wind River Vending, LLC (Rock Springs), JulBox (Basin), Wyoming Amusement Inc., Wyoming Amusement Services, Inc. (Casper), Wyoming Amusement Inc. (Sheridan).
There are currently 836 licensed skill games across 306 locations in Wyoming. Cowboy Skill operators have 568 games in 204 locations. These locations are small Wyoming businesses who have a demand for these types of entertainment devices. Locations are limited to four machines as they are designed to be supplemental entertainment, not destination entertainment. These games have provided Wyoming businesses the opportunity to diversify their revenue.