Casinos in Utah
Casinos in Utah are non existant as they are notorious for being openly hostile towards all forms of gambling. This has unfortunately also recently extended to wagers placed over the internet. The state doesn’t offer any regulated gambling options and doesn’t even have a state-operated lottery. Utah regulations go as far as to explicitly prohibit private home games and charity games. All things considered, from a gambling enthusiast’s perspective, Utah is simply the most unfriendly state in the entire country.
Utah Gambling Laws
As mentioned above, Utah lawmakers simply refuse to allow gambling in any shape or form. The statewide gambling ban is covered by Utah Code, Chapter 76. If that wasn’t bad enough, the governor of Utah signed an anti-i-gaming bill called HB108 in early 2012. The new bill includes the clause which states that Utah is guaranteed to opt out of any federal-level regulation that would allow interstate gambling all across the country.
The anti-i-gaming bill was passed two months after the US Department of Justice declared that the Federal Wire Act of 1961 shouldn’t apply to online casino games, which allowed states like Nevada or Delaware to launch their first regulated intrastate gambling sites. Participating in illegal games of chance in Utah is considered to be a class B misdemeanor for first time offenders and a class A misdemeanor for unrepentant gamblers.
Online Casinos in utah
Utah residents aren’t able to play on any US-licensed casino sites and are prohibited from playing at offshore casinos in Utah. Surprisingly enough, the number of US-facing sites that refuse to accept Utah-based casino enthusiasts is extremely limited. Consequently, Utah players are still able to join the action on many high-profile international sites and the state law enforcement is pretty much powerless when it comes to tracking them down. Nevertheless, it’s worth pointing out that playing on offshore sites from within the borders of the state is extremely risky, so we definitely wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who cares about keeping a clean record.
Offshore Casino Sites That Accept Utah Players
Despite the stringent regulations, most offshore casino sites that accept US-based players readily accept Utah residents due to the fact that they aren’t required to follow the local gambling regulations. However, there are some notable exceptions to this rule, as some sites simply prefer to avoid negative publicity that comes with putting their own customers in trouble.
Funding an offshore casino account from Utah is no different from making a deposit while residing in any other state. The number of available gambling options is extremely limited, which means that most players have to choose between depositing via a credit card or via a Western Union/MoneyGram money order. Most offshore casinos prefer their Utah-based customers to withdraw via a bank wire transfer, but in some cases it might be possible to cash out via a check by courier.
Developing Legal Scenarios
Being anti-gambling is heavily imprinted in Utah tradition due to the crucial role that Mormons played in the history of the state, so it’s next to impossible for Utah legislators to legalize any form of land-based or online gambling casino. Unfortunately, Utah-based online casino enthusiasts have to choose between breaking the law and moving to a more i-gaming friendly state, as even federal-level regulations wouldn’t have much of an impact on the current regulations.
