SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- As reported by The Salt Lake Tribune: "Worried that national and international deals could force Utah's hand to accept online gambling, state lawmakers are pushing a resolution that urges Congress to ensure all bets are off in the Beehive State.
"'Talks for the next round are in limbo,' Rep Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, said of World Trade Organization negotiations in 2009. 'It's very important that states give input and get involved before agreements get signed by 153 countries.'
"So Allen is pitching House Joint Resolution 1, which calls for gambling to remain within the realm of states' rights -- and, as a result, would keep it illegal in all its forms in Utah.
"The lucrative pastime -- barred by the Utah Constitution -- forces folks to head to Idaho for lottery tickets or nearby Nevada for casino games. But the advent of online gambling in the mid-1990s changed all that, at least for a time.
"...'Many see gambling as a moral issue,' Allen said. 'But I'm looking at it as a states' rights issue.'
"Utah and Hawaii are the only U.S. states with zero tolerance for gambling. Most states allow it with certain restrictions..."