Wyoming Tribal Gaming

The arrival of Indian gaming in Wyoming was contentious. After the state refused to negotiate a compact with the Northern Arapaho Tribe several times, the tribe sued the state in federal court, claiming the state had acted in bad faith. The tribe claimed that, under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) of 1988, it had the right to offer casino-style gaming because Wyoming allowed it for fundraising within the state.

In 2005, the court ruled that the Northern Arapaho Tribe was entitled to offer the "full gamut of casino-style Class III gambling" on its lands. Furthermore, the course of actions Wyoming had taken resulted in the state forfeiting its right to a revenue share of any income generated by Class III gaming.

After the state's loss of its revenue-sharing rights with the Northern Arapaho Tribe, Gov. Freudenthal and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe signed Wyoming's first Class III gaming compact in May 2006. The deal was negotiated in April 2006 after the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that all forms of Class III gaming were available for tribes to offer in the state. Each of the tribes operates casinos near their shared Wind River Indian Reservation.