The Fremont County Commission has granted a liquor license to The Wind River Hotel and Casino. The Commission has approved the license request from the Northern Arapaho Tribe, the owners of the casino.
This is a rare exception in a region where alcohol sales have historically been disallowed. It has been three decades since the last liquor license has been issued in the region.
The Wind River Hotel and Casino, on the edge of the Wind River Indian Reservation, can now sell tap or packaged liquor. However, the leaders of the Northern Arapaho Tribe say that it will only sell packaged liquor to those staying at the hotel.
One of the Tribe’s members pleaded with the commission not to approve the license, saying it would exacerbate the high crime rate already plaguing some of the nearby neighborhoods. Ultimately the submission for the license was only voted against by one member of the commission, Ron Fabrizius.
Fabrizius stated that after surveying numerous residents of the reservation, they begged him not to approve the license.
Commission Chairman Larry Allen, and commissioners Jennifer McCarthy, Mike Jones and Clarence Thomas, voted in favor of the license. Thomas said: “When we talk about Tribal people it’s always like, ‘I don’t know if I want them to do that. I don’t know if they’re going to be able to handle that.’ Why is that?” I don’t see this with the other entities. We say yes right off the bat"
The license is certainly groundbreaking and a big talking point in Wyoming. It could potentially lead to other licenses in the near future.
