Cheyenne, Wyoming
Aug. 23, 2024 – WyoLotto celebrates on Aug. 24, 2024, a legendary decade of serving Wyoming. “We are Wyoming grown, and we love this state. It is truly a great place to call home,” said Jon Clontz, WyoLotto CEO. Clontz has been with WyoLotto since the founding of the company when the WyoLotto Board of Directors hired him in 2013 to open the lottery in Wyoming.
“We started from nothing, no state funding. Everything we have done was achieved thanks to an excellent Board of Directors and a small staff of 10 employees,” Clontz said.
“This last 10 years only scratches the surface of what we can do for Wyoming. We are keeping Wyoming dollars in Wyoming, where before, that money was going to bordering states. We have seen the impact we can make in 10 years, so we look forward to the future and continuing to make a positive impact on the economy, local business owners, players and promoting responsible gambling,” said Gina Monk, WyoLotto Board of Directors Chairwoman.
When WyoLotto launched, it introduced Wyoming to two games, Powerball® and Mega Millions®. The first ticket was sold in Sheridan, Wyo., on Aug. 24, 2014, and a lot has happened since then, including:
- Cowboy Draw®, Wyoming’s own game, launched in March 2015
- Lucky for Life® was added to the portfolio in 2016
- WyoLotto’s own raffle game ran in 2018, Ragtime Raffle
- 2by2® launched in 2021
- And, KENO was added in 2022
“Each new game we have introduced has added to the entertainment value for Wyoming, while also allowing us to expand our portfolio to maximize how much we can give back to the state,” Clontz said.
WyoLotto has given back over $38 million through quarterly transfers made directly to the state. Those dollars are sent to the State Treasurer, who then distributes them to all of Wyoming’s cities, towns and counties. Each community then determines how to spend those dollars, “which is the Wyoming way,” Monk added.
This is done quarterly in accordance with state statute, which defines at least 75 percent of net revenue to be transferred. “We try to exceed and transfer as much as possible each quarter, and we have sometimes transferred as much as 90 percent of our net revenue,” Clontz added.
WyoLotto gives back in other ways, too. Since 2014, more than $19 million has been paid in retailer commissions. This is money going to over 530 retailers throughout the state, many of whom are small business owners. “We are so thankful for our retailers. We have succeeded over the last decade because of them,” Clontz said.
Additionally, more than $130 million has been won by players. “Paying out winnings to our players is what we do, and the best part is that we are changing lives,” Clontz added.
WyoLotto’s success started from the ground up. When the lottery bill was signed into law, it was done so without any funding to start up. Therefore, the Board and Clontz secured a start-up loan from a Wyoming bank—Jonah Bank. Through the support of Wyoming players, WyoLotto was able to pay off that loan early, in January of 2016. This allowed WyoLotto to make its first net revenue transfer in April 2016 of $1 million.
“We strive to give back to Wyoming in so many ways. One of those is through corporate responsibility by making sure we promote responsible gambling and do our part to prevent problem gambling,” Clontz said. WyoLotto recently achieved Responsible Gambling Verification Best Practices at the Planning Level from the National Council on Problem Gambling and the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries. WyoLotto is one of 29 lotteries to achieve this verification.For more information about WyoLotto or to receive player updates and notifications, visit wyolotto.com/signup or download the WyoLotto app for free today.