Utah State Rep. Kera Birkeland (R) is gearing up to reintroduce a proposed constitutional amendment that aims to ask Utahns whether to legalize a state lottery. However, in light of last year’s failed attempt, which was essentially dismissed from the outset, this proposal comes with a significant twist. Birkeland is advocating for the legalization of a lottery exclusively in counties that border states where lottery tickets are already sold.
Utah remains one of only two states, alongside Hawaii, where all forms of gambling, including church raffles, are illegal. This constitutional ban on gambling has been in place since Utah gained statehood in 1896, largely influenced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church, which counts just over half of Utah’s population as its adherents, opposes gambling as “spiritually destructive.”
Despite these longstanding prohibitions, Birkeland remains undeterred. She asserts that Utahns spend an astonishing $200 million annually on lottery tickets purchased in neighboring states. Redirecting that money to Utah, she contends, could help lower taxes. By focusing on bordering counties, Birkeland’s plan aims to curb the practice of Utahns crossing state lines to purchase lottery tickets.
“You don’t have people in the heart of Salt Lake City or wherever else, just walking down the street to a convenience store, buying a lottery ticket. It still creates a little bit of work to get there,” Birkeland explained to Fox 13 Salt Lake City.
The proposed plan would notably exclude several of the state’s most populous areas, such as Salt Lake, Davis, and Weber counties, as well as counties along the entire western border of the state adjacent to Nevada. For years, casino interests in Nevada’s gambling hub have successfully prevented the introduction of a Nevada lottery. Under Birkeland’s proposal, only counties bordering Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona would be eligible to opt-in.
“There are still those saying that this is, you know, really going to decay morally our state, and to them, I just hope that this compromise is showing again we’re not changing behaviors, we’re just capturing those same behaviors within our state limits,” Birkeland stated.
Birkeland plans to file the proposed amendment during the 2025 session of the Utah State Legislature. Should it pass—and that is a significant “if”—the decision would then be placed in the hands of voters in November 2026.
