The Wyoming Gaming Commission has approved Wyoming’s first mile-long horse racing track for 16 live race dates in 2025, as well as simulcasting and related activities. While the first racing season at Thunder Plains Park will feature temporary structures, the essential components, including barns, racing officials’ tower, video patrol towers, and spectator areas, will be in place.

The track, located 10 miles east of Cheyenne at Thunder Plains Park, will host its inaugural race day on Friday, August 1, 2025, with additional race days to follow on August 2, 3, 8-10, 15-17, 22-24, 29-31 and September 1. Dates are subject to change per the Wyoming Gaming Commission.

With its convenient location along I-80, the track is set to draw racing fans from neighboring states in the mountain west region, as well as local fans from Cheyenne and surrounding areas.

“As a fifth-generation Wyomingite, being able to bring this track to our state carries a lot of meaning,” said Ryan Clement, managing partner at Thunder Plains. “Thunder Plains sees an incredible opportunity to create a positive impact not only on the Wyoming horse racing industry but also the area’s economy, in terms of new job opportunities and tourism revenue.”

Through partnerships with elite industry veterans and horsemen, Thunder Plains looks forward to bringing high-quality, high-caliber racing to Laramie County.

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“We’ve established a strong partnership with 1/ST, North America’s preeminent Thoroughbred racing, entertainment and pari-mutuel wagering company,” said Clement. “They’ve set the standard for horse safety across the nation, and we’re looking forward to bringing that strong emphasis on safety and track protocols to Wyoming.”

Of the partnership with Thunder Plains, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY’s Senior Vice President Jeff True said he sees exciting opportunities ahead.

“1/ST has a long history of operating premier racetracks and premier racing events across the country. We are thrilled to be entering the Wyoming horse racing market together with our local Wyoming partners, and we look forward to lending our expertise to help grow Wyoming horse racing.”

For all simulcasting operations, 1/ST will leverage the expertise of its affiliates at Monarch Content Management, AmTote International, and PariMAX.

“Our racetrack will be operated with numerous horse safety and welfare protocols in place,” Clement said. “The track itself, being a mile long and eighty feet wide, dramatically improves horse and rider safety. Throughout track design and construction, we collaborated with Dennis Moore, a renowned track surface specialist, to ensure the safest, most high-quality racing surface.”

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Moore’s professional history includes designing and building world-class racetracks across the county, as well as consulting on track safety projects at racetracks across the country and around the world. Moore’s projects have included the racing surfaces at Santa Anita Park, Del Mar, Lone Star Park, Remington Park and in Dubai, among others.

Future plans at Thunder Plains Park include building a regional equestrian center and establishing a high-altitude horse training and breeding program.

BetMGM, a leading iGaming and sports betting operator and Authorized Gaming Operator of the NBA, has launched its first Original Bets Sweepstakes for the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup. From November 21-29, BetMGM customers who wager $10 or more on BetMGM’s proprietary NBA Cup Original Bets will have the chance to win the ultimate Las Vegas sports vacation. BetMGM will send one winner to Las Vegas for a five-night stay at MGM Grand, provide tickets to the semifinal and championship games and offer an on-court photo opportunity. The winner also will receive $2500 in BetMGM Rewards Points that can be redeemed for a variety of experiences at any MGM Resorts property (players must be considered active in order to keep their BetMGM Rewards Points from expiring based on Tier Status).

“With the Emirates NBA Cup championship returning to our backyard in Las Vegas, it is important for us to create an experience only possible through BetMGM. This promotion allows guests to explore NBA Original Bets and benefit from our unique connection to MGM Resorts destinations that are a short walk from T-Mobile Arena,” Matt Prevost, Chief Revenue Officer at BetMGM, said.

Participants can opt in to the Original Bets Sweepstakes from the home screen or promotions section of the BetMGM mobile app. Any Emirates NBA Cup Original Bet of $10 or more during the promotional period will count as a single entry into the sweepstakes for up to 25 entries (promotional offer not available in Nevada, New York, Ontario, or Puerto Rico).

BetMGM’s Original Bets are made possible through the integration of Angstrom, Entain’s sports modeling and analytics company. Angstrom’s differentiated play-by-play simulation-based pricing models allow BetMGM to provide an extensive list of basketball markets like both teams to score in the first minute and three 3-pointers scored in the first three minutes.

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The Original Bets Sweepstakes is one of many ways BetMGM customers can engage with the League throughout the 2024-25 NBA season. For the second year, BetMGM is offering its free-to-play Fast Break game. Once a day, users can log in and try to score a basket to win a reward. Rewards include parlay boost tokens, odds boost tokens, SGP boost tokens, bonus spins (in eligible casino states), and bonus bets (promotional offer not available in Nevada or Puerto Rico; bonus bets are non-withdrawable and expire in 24 hours).

Jackpot.com – the online lottery courier service that allows consumers to purchase official state lottery tickets on their phone, tablet, or computer – announced an exclusive collaboration with 7-Eleven Inc., the largest convenience store chain in the world, to serve as their official lottery courier service.

As part of the collaboration, 7-Eleven customers in Ohio and Massachusetts will be able to sign up and play lottery games and scratchers on the Jackpot.com app or website. The program will initially be launched in over 600 7-Eleven and Speedway stores in Ohio and Massachusetts, with a special launch promotion that gives 7-Eleven customers a free lottery ticket on their first deposit by using promo code, “7Eleven”.

“We’re thrilled to work with 7-Eleven, the leading retailer of lottery tickets in the country. Leveraging our technology and innovation, we can provide additional convenience for their customers, while adding an additional source of revenue. A true win-win relationship for all,” said Akshay Khanna, CEO and co-founder of Jackpot.com.

By launching in Ohio and Massachusetts in 2023 and 2024, respectively, Jackpot.com aims at adding another avenue for player convenience with one of the most widely recognized brands in the convenience-retailing space. With a presence in Ohio, the nation’s seventh-largest lottery market, and Massachusetts, whose state lottery produced $1.2 billion in net profit for the Commonwealth during the 2024 fiscal year, Jackpot.com’s collaboration with 7-Eleven represents an added layer of accessibility for players.

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Jackpot.com remains committed to responsible play and has significantly invested in protocols by allowing customers of legal age to set spend limits and limits on daily deposits, all while providing access to local and national responsible gambling resources, self-exclusion, self-suspension, and automated notifications that offer help should problematic behavior be detected. Jackpot.com is also the only lottery courier service to launch with an iCap certification from the National Council on Problem Gambling.