“Utah's Movement to Legalize Gambling Gains a Healthy Boost”

The State of Utah has long been known for its stance against the legalization of gambling. Despite pressure within the United States and internationally that encourages lawmakers to readdress gambling legislation, many believe Utah will remain outside any formal decisions that may be adopted in other parts of the United States. Opposition at a local governmental level and from religious groups is strong whenever the issue arises.

However for those Utah residents in favor of legalized gambling in their state, there are some indicators that trends are moving in a positive direction. A recent ruling by the World Trade Organization means that American residents regardless of their location may be entitled to gambling access even if their state expressly forbids it. The ruling decrees that the United States cannot legally block access to internet gambling sites based in other countries.

Similarly, the Central American Free Trade Agreement addresses free trade between Costa Rica and the United States. Under this agreement internet gaming sites and other gambling related activities provided by Costa Rica to the U.S is protected and available to all American citizens, even if they do happen to reside in a state where gambling is illegal.

These two factors have given Utah residents some hope that local legislation will be addressed in the near future. Results from a poll conducted by Desert Morning News/KSL-TV indicate that 30 percent of Utah residents are in favor of legalizing gambling. Studies that were carried out in connection to the poll reveal that if gambling was to be legalized, approximately a quarter of a billion dollars would remain in Utah. Currently this amount is lost each year to Utah's neighboring states where residents enjoy legalized gambling.

This push to keep local revenue in-state has also seen some local government officials come out in support of the movement. Stephen Perry, the mayor of Wendover, is one such local figure in favor of legalization. Perry believes that legalization would increase tourism revenue in Utah and enable it to compete with rival state Nevada, which enjoys healthy profits from gambling-related industries.

For those seeking an indication of just how close Utah has come in the past to legalizing gambling, one can look back to the efforts made by the horse-racing industry. In 1992 a referendum was created aiming to legalize pari-mutuel betting on horse-racing in Utah. The proposal was eventually defeated despite its initial success due to lobbying from the Church of the Latter Day Saints; however the publicity at the time of the referendum gave the issue a good deal of momentum.

With regular debates on legislation and now with the support from rulings made by the World Trade Organization and the Central American Free Trade Agreement, gambling issues in Utah have come to the fore. Whether the level of support truly in favor of legalizing gambling is significant enough to influence lawmakers remains to be seen.