Utah’s “Spiritually Destructive” Lottery Bill Gets Mixed Reception

A somewhat optimistic legislative elbow grease to launch a lottery inward Utah has gotten sour to a stuttering bulge out in Salt Lake City.

Gambling bills are a rarefied occurrence inward the say capitol — Utah is ace of just now deuce states, on with Hawaii, where all forms of gaming are illegal, including church raffles.

But State Rep. Kera Birkeland (R-Morgan) is undeterred. If passed, her visor filed Fri would position a oppugn on the 2024 ballot asking Utahans to resolve whether the country make-up should live amended to decriminalise a lottery.

She says say residents already expend an estimated $200 gazillion a year traveling across the commonwealth railway line to purchase drawing tickets. She wants to use revenue generated by a futurity lottery to lower prop taxes.

Utah is 1 of just 5 U.S. states without a lottery. The others are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, and Nevada.

Realizing how a great deal people are already outlay [on the lottery] out of doors our country — to me it just seemed like, ‘Well, if we really wanted to follow serious about it, we could just employ that funding,’ ” Birkeland told The Salt Lake Tribune. “We wouldn’t even out feature to inquire anyone else to commute their habits at all and we would feature rather a big influx of money.”

The resolution would create single designated location inward for each one county that would live licensed to sell tickets.

Mormon Opposition

While play bills are rarefied inwards the state, the enactment of such bills is even out rarer. In fact, it’s ne'er happened.

Utah has held a constitutional forbiddance on play since it was granted statehood inward 1896. That’s mostly to perform with the Church of Deliverer Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members account for just o'er half the population.

The Mormon Church opposes “all forms of gambling” because it’s “spiritually destructive.”

Utah last saw a play bill inwards 2019. That’s when Sen. Saint David Hinkins (R-Orangeville) filed statute law that would feature asked voters to authorize pari-mutuel gymnastic horse rush betting on a county-by-county basis. But it didn’t create it to the Senate floor.

Long Odds

Senate Majority Leader Evan Vickers (R-Cedar City) gives Utah’s unexampled drawing banknote a similar prognosis.

I would belike bet quite an a bit of money inward Vegas that it wouldn’t pass,” he said.

But non everyone is opposed to the idea. House Speaker Mike Schultz (R-Hooper) said he would live prepared to allow res publica residents resolve on the matter.

“Well, it’ll bring through me some money going to Evanston (Wyoming) to buy lottery tickets,” he quipped.

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