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 terminals (VGTs) 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 contol, not the machine.
This involves:
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.
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. Historically, they 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.
Skill games put the player in contol, 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.
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. Historically, they 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.
Skill Game Requirements
(per previous legislation: 2020 HB 171/HEA 95 & 2021 SF56/SEA 44)
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 be 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
- Game play up to $3
- Payout up to $3,000
2023 General Session Legislation
Please Support SF 41 Skill based amusement games-authorized locations
The bill currently authorizes locations of skill games in liquor licensed establishments and truck stops.
Currently, the only restriction in statute is not locating a game where a person under 21 can access the game. This language is too broad and could allow games in any location that can be roped off.
There is a grandfather clause for games currently operating in any other location.
Cowboy Skill games have NOT expanded since 2020.
Due to legislative changes and issues surrounding promulgation of rules, there has been NO expansion of Cowboy Skill games in Wyoming since 2020. In fact, the number of Cowboy Skill Games in Wyoming has shrunk while operators have waited for the rules to be finalized. Our businesses are looking forward to the Wyoming Gaming Commission operating rules going into effect this March – April.