Utah Legal Online Sports Betting, Laws And More

Is Online Sports Betting Legal In Utah?

Utah players can legally enjoy real money sports betting as long as the site they are betting at is legitimately certified, subject to genuine oversight, and is located offshore. The state and federal gambling laws make it illegal to own or operate a bookie or sportsbook without a license, but it does not make it illegal to place bets as a player. Since there are no domestic sportsbooks in Utah, we recommend that you restrict your betting to those sportsbooks that are operating legally within the industry offshore.

Utah and the Impact of Federal Regulations

There are two US sports betting laws to consider when it comes to sports betting.

The Federal Wire Act restricts US-based online sports betting sites from taking wagers from US bettors. There are no exempted regions from this law. According to the Department of Justice, this law only applies to US-based sports betting and not other forms of online gambling.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) acts an overseer to banks and other financial institutions when it comes to how they process transactions from online gambling. These laws strictly pertain to domestic sportsbooks, not the legal offshore sportsbooks presented in this guide.

The  Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), was a federal law that prevented domestic sports betting in 46 states but was overturned in 2018. Now states have the choice to enact sports betting laws if they wish to do so.

What you need to know about Utah law and US federal laws, is that they don't allow anyone to open up a bookie shop or an online sportsbook in the state. However there are no laws that specifically make the act of betting illegal. So if you want to bet on sports while living in Utah, you are legally allowed to do so as long as the site you are placing the bet with is located outside of the US borders and is operating legally, meaning they hold legitimate authorization and compliance certifications.

Are There Any Addition Gambling Options in Utah?

When you check out the literature of a resource site like ours, or a government-based Utah site, or even Wikipedia, you're probably going to reach the initial conclusion that you won't find a single casino or gaming house in the state of Utah. It's very rare to see a state that is so anti-gambling. Although they do exist in America, Utah is perhaps the harshest against gambling we have seen.

However, you need to remember that we're speaking about Utah here – the state that's so anti-gambling that you'd literally need a calendar to tell that it's actually 2018. Driving through Utah and just looking at the landscape, it's impossible to tell the year. So, you're not going to find any poker rooms, or a bunch of table games, and certainly no sports betting. But the citizens have spoken, and now there's the Southgate Dinner & Bingo hall in Salt Lake City. Mostly bingo, this is an area that, for Utah, is considered a legitimate casino. For the gambling public, it's just a bingo hall. But for the Utah officials dressed to the nines in their Revolutionary garb, this constitutes Las Vegas!

You can also go through a place like Manti or stay in Salt Lake City and actually find some slots. But don't get carried away here. That's as close to real casino gambling as you're going to get. Some bingo, and a few slots, and Utah has done its duty for gamblers. And while this saddens us, we're not in Utah nor will we pretend to speak for Utahans. All we can say, which is axiomatic, is that if you don't like how Utah treats gambling, the power is literally in your hands in the democratic republic of America to make the changes necessary.

Popular Sports Teams in Utah

Utah has one major professional team, the Utah Jazz NBA franchise, and two major college football programs, the BYU Cougars and Utah Utes, who both compete in NCAA Division I FBS.

Betting On The Utah Jazz

Back in the days of Karl "The Mailman" Malone and John Stockton, one of the NBA's greatest point guards, the Utah Jazz were perennial contenders for not only the playoffs but the NBA Finals championship. They had a famous six-game bout with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the '90s, which granted was a long time ago, but all of sports still remembers how great the Jazz were. Malone, in fact, is the number-one points scorer in NBA history, and John Stockton holds so many records as a point guard that it would take four of these articles to list them all. However, the mighty have fallen in the NBA's Western Conference of late, and the Utah Jazz are now a team that is lucky to win 36 games a year.

Founded in 1974, the Utah Jazz have never been real head-turners on a national stage, nor have they really expanded outside of that state. Coached by Quin Snyder and playing in EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, the Utah Jazz are still a viable team in terms of putting butts in the seats and finding sponsors. But when it comes to winning, there seems to be some impediment there in drafting and producing talent. Their roster consists of guys like Dante Exum PG, Rudy Gobert C, Derrick Favors PF, and Rodney Hood SF. These aren't exactly names you're looking up to play fantasy basketball, nor are they names you're going to find on any all-star program. So what's the deal in Utah? Why don't they have any legit stars? The answer may lie in the NBA's CBA, where the salary cap will be removed in a few years, and stars that realize the Lakers, Celtics, Heat and other big-market teams can pay, but the Jazz won't be able to.

Whatever the reasons for their lack of star power, expect another 30-some win year from the Jazz where they miss the playoffs by light years. They're not a great bet yet, but Utah fans are confident that the Jazz will one day return to the days of Stockton to Malone.

Betting On The 2019 BYU Cougars

Brigham Young University (BYU) proved last season that they are far away from their glory days. The Cougars finished out last year 7-6 and earned a spot in the Idaho Potato Bowl against W. Michigan. They won the Potato Bowl 49-18 and ended their less than stellar season on a high note.

Odds To Win The National Championship: TBA

Betting On The 2019 Utah Utes

Utah finished their season with a 9-5 record but they lost their bowl game against Northwestern. Last season they just couldn't get past Washington losing to them in the regular season and in the PAC-12 Championship. Next year expect the Utes to deliver some sweet revenge or at least their best effort.

Odds To Win The National Championship: TBA