The business subsidiary of an Oklahoma-based Indian tribe has bought one of Wyoming’s largest gaming operations, the Wyoming Gaming Commission confirmed Tuesday to Cowboy State Daily.
Global Gaming Solutions, which is a subsidiary of the Chickasaw Nation, received Gaming Commission approval Friday for its purchase of Wyoming Holdings LLC.
That includes about 13 different facilities, including live horse racing, off-track betting, historic horse racing machines and live betting.
Wyoming Holdings owned the live racing operation at Sweetwater Downs Racetrack in Rock Springs, as well as the Horse Palace Swan Ranch gaming house in Cheyenne, among other facilities.
“It’s the entire operations (that) were sold to Global Gaming Solutions,” said Larramendy.
The move required commission approval.
Though Chickasaw is a tribal nation, the facilities can continue to operate under state, rather than federal, gaming regulations because they’re on state land and not sovereign tribal land, Larramendy said.
“Global Gaming has a very good understanding of horse racing,” said Larramendy. “And they already operate horse race tracks.”
Global operates Remington Park in Oklahoma, and Lone Star Park in Texas. Officials have announced an agreement framework that will lead to Lone Star Park becoming home to the coveted All-American Triple Crown Series in 2027.
Wyoming law tethers lucrative off-track activities like historic horse racing machines — which resemble slot machines — to live horse racing tracks.
Operators must establish expensive live-horse racing tracks to cash in on HHR machines.
“That’s what historic horse racing (machinery) was authorized for,” said Larramendy. “To revive a dying industry. That’s why those two go hand in hand.”
The tribe’s governor, Chris Anoatubby, in a public statement this week congratulated Global Gaming Solutions on the acquisition, saying, “Diversification of our business portfolio remains an integral business strategy that continues our vision of economic stability and longevity for Chickasaw citizens."
Targets Colorado
The $25 million, 30,000-square-foot Horse Palace Swan Ranch opened in June 2024 along southbound Interstate 25 about 4 miles from the Colorado border.
Colorado people coming across the border for its parimutuel games and off-track betting was the Horse Palace’s target audience.
The goal of the company’s expansion then was to drive better and better purses, and ultimately drive more horse racing to the state, Wyoming Horse Racing founder Eugene Joyce told Cowboy State Daily at the time.
“We think this is going to have a huge effect going forward,” he said. “Our focus has been let’s see if we can’t make a big, big difference by shifting the paradigm to bring in out-of-state dollars to help our industry, versus putting up more and more off-track betting sties throughout the state.”
He also called placing facilities near Wyoming’s borders with Colorado and Utah a strategic move. The Horse Palace Gateway Evanston opened earlier this year in February.
“People don’t want Wyoming to be Las Vegas,” Joyce said. “They don’t want these machines in every place they walk into in their city, and we agree.
"And that’s why our company’s focus is marrying tourism with gaming and focusing on building the larger places on the border, to bring out-of-state dollars to help fuel our economy.”
More From The Tribe
Dan Boren, Chickasaw Nation Secretary of Commerce and Global Gaming Solutions board chairman, touted the sale in a statement as a good fit for "our proven expertise and commitment to customer experiences."
“For nearly 20 years, Global Gaming Solutions has proven to be a catalyst for expanding our footprint in gaming, racing and entertainment in Oklahoma, then into Texas and now Wyoming,” said Boren.
The acquisition continues the expansion of Global Gaming Solutions, parent of Global Gaming WY LLC.
Global Gaming Solutions’ portfolio includes racing and gaming assets across Oklahoma and Texas.
Global Gaming Solutions also manages nearly 1,400 hotel rooms at WinStar World Casino and Resort. As of today, Global Gaming Solutions directly employs more than 1,250 people in Oklahoma, Texas, California and Wyoming.
“Behind today’s milestone are hundreds of employees and thousands of patrons in communities throughout the state who are part of the Horse Palace and Sweetwater Downs experience,” said Skip Seeley, Global Gaming Solutions president/CEO. “We look forward to growing relationships with the people in each of those communities for years to come.”
The Wyoming Gaming Commission approved the transfer of the live event and simulcast permits during a special meeting held Friday. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed, according to a statement by Global.
Citizens Capital Markets & Advisory served as financial advisor and Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP served as legal advisor to Global Gaming Solutions.
Valtus Capital Group served as financial advisor and Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP served as legal advisor to Wyoming Funding LLC, a joint venture between Pacesetter Racing and Gaming LLC and an affiliate of Sculptor Real Estate.
The sale introduces a third tribe to Wyoming's gaming economy.
The Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribe also operate casinos, under federal rules, on their shared Wind River Indian Reservation near Riverton.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
