GREEN RIVER – The old movie theater in Green River, located at 699 Uinta Drive, will become a Derby Club – offering historic horse racing terminals, pari-mutuel wagering and simulcast events.
The location joins two other locations in Green River offering similar amusements and will be the sixth between Rock Springs and Green River.
The Sweetwater County commissioners unanimously approved a resolution for 307 Horse Racing Inc., to conduct business at the Green River location Tuesday morning. According to Wyoming statutes, the county commissioners are required to approve resolutions for pari-mutuel wagering for historic horse racing and simulcast events before the businesses can operate. 307 Horse Racing operates a Derby Club in Rock Springs, which the commissioners approved last year.
Historic horse racing, which uses terminals that look very similar to slot machines, is big business in Wyoming. According to a 2022 report by the Wyoming Gaming Commission, historic horse racing brought in more than $1.2 billion in wagers throughout the year, greatly overshadowing the other forms of pari-mutuel wagering available in the state. The next-highest amounts generated were the $3.5 million in wagers from advanced deposit wagering and another $3.2 million in wagers from simulcast race days. One percent of the total bets placed are split between the county and the city they’re placed in, giving local governments an incentive to support the industry. According to the Sweetwater County Treasurer’s Office, the county received $601,677.23 from historic horse racing during the current fiscal year and $615,947.63 during the last fiscal year.
Kyle Ridgeway, the CFO of 307 Horse Racing, views the former theater as a great location for the Derby Club business, as the anticipated economic growth within the county will likely grow Green River.
“Sweetwater County has got a lot of really, really nice economic infrastructure coming your way over the next five years and we think (the 699 Uinta Drive location) is a real nice facility for us for a number of reasons,” Ridgeway said. “One, that community is going to grow quite a bit.”
Ridgeway said there are likely going to be between 5,000 and 10,000 more people in the community over the next five years. He believes the Green River location will be a tax generator for the county and city, while offering amusement for people.
Ridgeway said they plan to level the floor on one side where the screens were to convert it to the gaming area while the other section could be used to show sporting events. However, Ridgeway said there are other potential uses for the space and the company hasn’t yet committed to a plan in Green River.
