Governor Matt Mead signed the Wyoming Lottery Bill on Wednesday, allowing Wyoming to join a multi-state lottery, such as Powerball, or create a state lottery.

“This is a way to keep Wyoming money in Wyoming,” said Governor Mead. “Right now we are seeing many people cross the border and spending their dollars in out-of-state businesses. This is a form of gambling and I commit to keeping a close eye on any social impacts of the lottery when it gets up and running to see if there are ways to address those.”

The law creates a lottery corporation. After the law goes into effect on July 1st, Governor Mead will appoint a nine member board, which will hire a CEO for the corporation. It’s expected to take about a year to get the lottery going.