{"id":97628,"date":"2019-02-03T07:00:42","date_gmt":"2019-02-03T15:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=97628"},"modified":"2019-02-01T12:36:29","modified_gmt":"2019-02-01T20:36:29","slug":"gamble-free-utah-prepares-to-ban-fringe-gaming-machines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/gamble-free-utah-prepares-to-ban-fringe-gaming-machines\/","title":{"rendered":"Gamble-Free Utah Prepares to Ban \u201cFringe Gaming\u201d Sweepstakes Machines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Utah is tied with Hawaii as America\u2019s most gamble-dry state and it\u2019s about to get even less \u201cgambly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Fringe
Utah State Senator Todd Weiler believes that the state\u2019s gambling laws need to be \u201cbeefed up,\u201d although they\u2019re already pretty beefy, if you ask us. (Image: Kristin Murphy\/Deseret News)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A bill that would outlaw electronic sweepstakes machines, dropped in the legislature last October, is now on its way to a vote on the House floor after being approved 11-1 by committee on Thursday.<\/p>\n

HB23 wants to close a loophole in the law that has allowed the machines — which the bill defines as \u201cfringe gaming\u201d — to proliferate around the state\u2019s gas stations, rest stops, and convenience stores over the past few years.<\/p>\n

At first glance the machines look like regular casino slots, but their local manufacturer, Intermountain Vending, claims they are more akin to the sweepstakes promotions offered by fast-food chains, where you might receive a coupon and win a free Happy Meal, for example.<\/p>\n

Typically, players buy tokens which they feed into the machine and then push a button in the hope of winning rewards cards, which can then be exchanged for merchandise online. Some of the machines also dispense gumballs at 25c a go.<\/p>\n

No Raffles<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not gambling,\u201d Intermountain Vending business director Stanford Graham told KSA News in 2016. \u201cOur legislature has a very specific definition of what is and what isn\u2019t gambling. And the activity that this gift card kiosk provides is not gambling.\u201d<\/p>\n

It can also be said that the Utah legislature\u2019s definition of what constitutes gambling is quite broad, which is why charitable raffles and bingo are illegal in the Beehive State. Utah and Hawaii are the only states where there are no forms of legal gambling whatsoever, although apparently this wasn’t always the case.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

In Utah, the only kind of raffle permitted is one in which players can make donations but also have the option to participate for free, if they so choose.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Now it seems likely that Intermountain\u2019s machines will be added to the list of no-nos.<\/p>\n

More Beef<\/strong><\/h2>\n

“This bill is designed to beef up our definition of gambling,” said its sponsor, Sen. Todd Weiler (<\/em>R-Woods Cross).<\/em>\u00a0“There\u2019s a very fine line between slot machines and what we have in these kiosks.”<\/p>\n

Assistant Attorney General Steven Wuthrich was involved in a two-years-long investigatio<\/a>n into the machines and his findings were used in drafting the bill. He rejects the notion that fringe gaming is as harmless as a fast food restaurant sweepstake promotion, calling the machines a \u201ca functional equivalent to slot machines that you would see in [West] Wendover.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wendover is a town — or nominally two towns — split by the Nevada-Utah border. Full-scale Las Vegas-style gaming is available in West Wendover, but you\u2019d be hard pushed to find a decent raffle in the other part of town.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Utah is tied with Hawaii as America\u2019s most gamble-dry state and it\u2019s about to get even less \u201cgambly.\u201d A bill that would outlaw electronic sweepstakes machines, dropped in the legislature last October, is now on its way to a vote on the House floor after being approved 11-1 by committee on Thursday. HB23 wants to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":97633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,61,13592],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGamble-Free Utah Prepares to Ban \u201cFringe Gaming\u201d Machines<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Utah\u2019s fringe gaming bill passes House committee and heads for a full vote on the House floor. 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