Gambling Laws In Utah

There are a great many federal and Utah gambling laws which regulate gambling in the state, however these only make it difficult to wager or bet and do not completely erase one's ability to do so. What the laws accomplish is to completely outlaw the business of gambling and the facilitation of bets for profit. They do not interfere with the mere act of placing a wager by a recreational bettor. While these laws are fairly standard across the United States, there is plenty of room for each individual state to write their own legislation in regards to gambling and that's exactly what Utah ended up doing.

This page is intended for those in the Beehive State who desire to learn these laws and gamble safely and legally within the realm of those laws. When you're through here you will leave with knowledge about the permitted forms of gaming, where it can be done, and the whole story when it comes to online gambling in Utah. Daylight is burning, let's get going!

Legality of Gambling in Utah - Is It Legal?

There is almost no state with a stronger stance against gambling as the state of Utah. With a predominantly Mormon population, social and religious values dominate the state legislature and are vehemently opposed to a wide range of sins as seen in the eyes of local religion. Residents of Utah will be hard pressed to find alcohol or tobacco products, let alone gambling, anywhere in the state. Hawaii is the only other state which outlaws gambling as heavily as Utah but the pacific island state at least provides provisions for private social games in a home. Utah makes no such provisions with absolutely zero exceptions and a zero tolerance stance on the matter.

Gambling is defined in the Utah state's legislation as; "risking anything of value for a return or risking anything of value upon the outcome of a contest, game, gaming scheme, or gaming device when the return or outcome: (i) is based upon an element of chance; and (ii) is in accord with an agreement or understanding that someone will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome. (b) "Gambling" includes a lottery and fringe gambling." Committing this act is a class B misdemeanor and repeating the offense increases it to a class A misdemeanor. 'Gambling Promotion' is also defined in the state law as "A person is guilty of gambling promotion if he derives or intends to derive an economic benefit other than personal winnings from gambling." This is also a class B misdemeanor however a repeat offense will result in a felony of the third degree which could mean a $5000 fine and up to 5 years in prison. As is the case with federal laws, the business of gambling for profit is far more serious than the act of participating in gambling.

Although gambling is completely outlawed in the Beehive State, the punishments are fairly light provided it is not a repeated offense or involves conducting a gambling business. If one is going to unlawfully gamble, it had better be with trusted friends and family and behind the closed doors of a private residence where no profit is being made. Investigations and enforcements of such instances rarely, if ever, happen but those who do this should be aware that they are indeed breaking the law. The only loophole for which there has been some push is that the definition of gambling only states that it happens through a game of 'chance'. Poker fans in Utah have argued that their cards require skill and is therefore not gambling as cases have been reported of officers checking out home poker games only to leave without issuing citations upon learning no profit was being made by the house.

Land-Based Gambling In Utah

If you live in the state of Utah and you are looking for a lawful place to gamble, be ready to pull your road maps out because you'll be making a drive out of state. There is absolutely no legal or regulated gambling anywhere in the beehive state and one will not even find a charitable raffle or bingo parlor. There is occasionally a restaurant or two which will host a "free" Texas Hold'em tournament or Bingo game where participants must buy food or drinks in order to play, but authorities will likely have their eyes on such operations closely and it really just isn't worth the risk for trying to win a gift card. Locals in the Beehive State are at least in short driving range to Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah where gambling is legalized in some extent or another and wagers can be made in a variety of different fashions.

Online Gambling In Utah

Despite Utah's intense anti-gambling measures in the state's legislation, there is not any mention of the internet or gambling on the internet even though they recently opted out of any pending federal relaxation on online gambling. Utah passed a bill to ignore any federal legalization of online gambling by the federal government to keep Native American casinos from forming in the state rather than to go after internet gamblers. In fact, one Utah lawmaker, Stephen Sandstrom, when asked, stated that "… it wasn't to have people kicking in doors and arresting people playing gambling games on their home computer." Sandstrom and other lawmakers wanted to keep Utah 100% casino free. What this means for locals in the Beehive State right now is that they are indeed able to place bets over the internet without worry or concern so long as they are not facilitating bets for profit or operating a gambling business.

Although there is no legal venue to place such bets in the United States, let alone Utah, there are a variety of options for online gambling sites which are outside of both federal and state jurisdictions. Many reputable online services exist in foreign countries such as Canada which are able to host Utah residents and issue payouts. Most Americans in fact, take advantage of this as most wagering occurs with services such as this during huge events as March Madness or the Super Bowl.

Popular Gambling Options In Utah:

Online Sportsbooks - Online Casinos - Online Poker

Bovada - Best All-Around Legal Gambling Site For Utah
Bovada

One such site which has remained popular for decades with bettors across the country, as well as with the state of Utah, is Bovada. Having started as the popular American network 'Bodog', Bovada was only forced to move to neighboring Canada after changing federal laws pushed them to continue serving American citizens from outside of Montreal, Quebec.

The site boasts one of the most streamlined and refined interfaces in the entire online gambling industry and has a sterling reputation for customer support and reliable payouts. In fact, residents in the state of Utah can receive a check straight to their home address for their winnings delivered to them within 10 business days. Bovada offers every form of gambling whether it be classic casino games, poker, horse racing and even sports betting, filling a massive void of gambling opportunities within the Beehive State.

Legal Utah Gambling Sites
Best Overall Betting Sites Sports? Casino? Poker? Horses? Visit
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What Is The Legal Age To Gamble In Utah?

There is absolutely no stated gambling age in the state of Utah and those who wish to gamble will have to travel out of state to gamble in a land based facility. For those residents in the Beehive State who wish to wager online however, the Utah gambling sites which we recommend are accepting of all legal adult aged locals 18 and over.?

Best For All Gaming Types

Bovada