Legal Utah Sports Betting

Utah’s Future Legal Sports Betting Outlook

Utah is only of the strictest states in terms of gambling laws. There is no form of gambling active in Utah and there has been no indication that things will change in 2023. Lawmakers have not presented a potential sports betting bill in years and they are unlikely to do so anytime soon. This is mainly due to the strong anti-gambling culture in Utah backed by the strong religious community in the state that has affected all state laws. Even with popular sports franchises like the Utah Jazz and the Utah Utes, residents will likely never see a regulated sports betting market.

Utah Sports Betting Timeline

• 2022: Despite the potential for millions in tax revenue, the state legislature refuses to move on their maximalist no-sports-betting position.
• 2021: No sports betting or gambling legalizations were proposed or considered in the 2021 Utah Legislative Session.
• 2020: No further alterations to Utah’s existing sports betting laws are proposed.
• 2019: No sports betting legislation is proposed, although horse race regulations are proposed and swiftly voted down. The bill ends up in a Senate committee, where it never sees the light of day.
• 2018: PASPA is repealed, allowing Utah to regulate sports betting at the state level. However, Utah already has laws concerning sports betting – and they are very much against the topic. Intriguingly, retiring Republican Senator from Utah, Orrin Hatch, partners with Chuck Schumer to propose federal regulatory bodies for sports betting, with a bill known as the Sports Wagering Market Integrity Act (SWMIA) of 2018. SWMIA does not pass, and Hatch retires in 2019, replaced by Mitt Romney, who does not share Hatch’s views on sports betting.

What Teams Can I Bet On?

Even though Utah is only home to one professional sports team and two Division 1 NCAA sports programs, the love for those teams outweighs many other state’s sports fans. The Utah Jazz have had all-star talent play for their team, and the Utah Utes have even reached New Year’s six bowl games. UT residents love to bet on these teams, but with online offshore sportsbooks, they’ll be able to bet on any team located in the US and around the world. But, it’s always easier to place wagers on teams that you regularly watch which is why we’ve provided a list popular teams that folks in Utah tend to gravitate towards.

Popular Utah Teams:

Betting On The Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz have been one of the more profitable teams in the NBA in recent years having made the playoffs in each of their last six seasons for a $209.38 profit on $100 bets. In those past six seasons, they’ve also won three division titles for $194.44 in profit. They have also done a decent job against the spread in each of their last five seasons with three seasons ATS of an above .500 record.

Utah Jazz Past ATS Records

• 2022: 34-51-3
  
• 2021: 47-35-1
  
• 2020: 36-40-3
  
• 2019: 46-39-2
  
• 2018: 48-44-1

Betting Stats From The 2021-22 Season

• They were four games under their projected total (49).
• The total scoring under was hit in 54.7% of games.
• The Jazz went 34-51-3 ATS for the third worst record in the NBA.

Betting on the NFL in Utah

The NFL is one of the biggest sporting events of the year and even with Utah not having regulated betting, rest assure local bettors are placing heavy action during the NFL season. This is thanks to legal online sportsbooks. These licensed internet books are headquartered outside of the US and are unaffected by local regulations. Therefore, bettors in Utah can continue to legally bet on the NFL without any risk of legal prosecution. Betting on the NFL in Utah is made easy thanks to these operations. These internet sportsbooks host odds for every game of the season, as well as team and player props. Utah bettors can even bet on the Super Bowl right now.

Where’s The Closest Place To Me To Bet?

If you’re still not comfortable in placing sports wagers online and you would like to go to a physical sportsbook instead, there is good news. Nevada, the most notorious gambling state in the country, is located right next door. If you decide to make the trip to a neighboring sports betting state, you can bet on big events such as the Super Bowl or March Madness in addition to in state sports as well. If you do not want to make the trip though, one of the licensed online sportsbooks are a great option as they offer just as much maybe even more than a retail book has to offer

Potential Cities With Utah Sportsbooks

• Salt Lake City
• West Valley City
• Provo
• West Jordan

States With Sportsbooks Surrounding Utah

• Arizona
• Colorado
• Kansas
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• North Dakota
• Oregon
• South Dakota
• Washington
• Wyoming

Utah Residents Traveling To NV To Gamble

Many Utah residents also choose to travel to Nevada when they wish to gamble. Nevada is famously a gambling mecca, making its close proximity to Utah a funny juxtaposition. Outside of travel to NV, Utah residents also take advantage of online sportsbooks like BetOnline and MyBookie, which can be accessed in UT. However, it is possible that these sportsbooks are questionable in the eyes of the state of Utah.

Utah Sports Betting Deposits And Withdrawals

Utah’s only sportsbooks are located offshore, so understanding deposits and withdrawals is a useful skill. Generally, offshore sportsbooks allow you to deposit in all sorts of different ways. These range from credit cards to cryptocurrency to vouchers. However, withdrawals cannot be processed via credit or debit cards, so it’s important to know your options. Let’s take a look at Bovada’s deposit and withdrawal options for Utah players as an example of what you’ll be dealing with.

Bovada Deposit Methods In Utah

• Visa/ Mastercard
• Bitcoin
• Bitcoin Cash
• Litecoin
• Ethereum
• Bitcoin SV (BSV)
• Player Transfer
• MatchPay
• Voucher

As you can see, deposits are often processed in various forms of cryptocurrency, but for those who are more traditional, they offer deposits via VISA and MasterCard as well. There are no fees on your first deposit for these traditional methods, but fees will be applied after the first deposit if you use VISA or MasterCard. The fastest processing times belong to cryptocurrency options, especially Ethereum. They also offer player transfers, MatchPay and Vouchers, all of which are not used nearly as much.

Bovada Withdrawal Methods In Utah

Withdrawal methods are similar to deposit methods, but there is one major difference – you cannot withdraw directly into a bank account or using your debit/credit card. Your best option in this situation is to use a courier’s check. You can withdraw in cryptocurrency, but only if you deposited in cryptocurrency. If you did not, your options are more limited. For this reason, cryptocurrency deposits are recommended, as they allow you to withdraw your money more easily.

Horse Racing In Utah

Horse racing is allowed in Utah, but betting on it is not. Thus, the major providers do not operate in UT – you won’t see TwinSpires or TVG, for example. However, online sportsbooks located offshore do tend to have US horse race betting odds, so if you wanted to access race odds in Utah, the offshore sportsbooks would be the place to do it.

Betting On Utah Utes Football

The Utah Utes have taken the college football world by storm over the past few seasons, having been a ranked team in each of their last nine seasons with four of them being in the top-10. Not only have they been successful, but bettors have enjoyed a nice profit on them as well. In their last six seasons, they have gone 5-1 with the over on their win total, for $350 in profit when betting $100. They have also won the Pac-12 Championship in their last two seasons for $825 in profit. Against the spread in the last five seasons, they’ve also finished at or above a .500 record.

• 2022: 8-5
• 2021: 7-7
• 2020: 3-2
• 2019: 9-5
• 2018: 7-7

Can I Bet Real Money On Sports In Utah?

Yes, but wagering with real money can only be done online with offshore betting sites. They accept real money deposits and use that money to place wagers on the sports matchups of your choice. Many of the top online sportsbooks will even accept Bitcoin as a faster and more reliable form of payment.

What Is The Sports Betting Age In Utah?

This can be a difficult question to answer because there are no laws explicitly written for this and since gambling doesn’t exist in the state, there is no legal sports betting age to use as a reference. Many online offshore sports betting sites have and age restriction of their own and it’s usually 18 years or older. Since that’s the case you can start to place your sports bets as soon as you turn 18, but users of these sites tend to be 21 years or older just to be extra safe.

Utah Gambling Legislative Information

• UT State Legislature
• Utah Code Section 76-10-1102

Potential Utah Sports Betting Revenue

Utah is perhaps the least likely state to ever regulate sports betting, given the prominent Mormon role in the government. However, they could be missing out on some serious cash by not doing so. “You’re probably looking at $7 million in tax revenue in the first year, if Utah were to offer it,” said Jay Kornegay, VP of the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook. “It would only grow from that point.” The American Gaming Association argues that the number could actually be even higher, at around $16 million annually.