The initiative to enhance gambling regulations in Utah has progressed with new legislation aiming to prohibit proposition betting, a type of sports wagering that has gained traction in various U.S. states.

House Bill 243, introduced last week by Representative Joseph Elison, aims to officially categorize proposition bets as illegal gambling according to Section 76-9-1401 of the Utah Criminal Code. This bill seeks to broaden the existing legal definitions of gambling to include prop bets alongside other categories like lotteries, sweepstakes, and games of skill.

The proposed legislation defines a proposition wager as one placed on a specific action, statistic, occurrence, or non-occurrence during a sporting event. Elison explained to SBC Americas that this measure aims to clarify whether such wagers are covered by the state’s current gambling restrictions.

Despite Utah’s state constitution already prohibiting all forms of gambling, Elison has voiced concerns regarding online platforms possibly providing betting options to residents. He mentioned in an interview with ABC4 that there have been reports of some operators possibly acting in defiance of state law.

If the bill is passed, Elison stated that the Attorney General’s office would be empowered to issue cease-and-desist notices to companies that fail to comply.

Elison clarified that the bill would not affect fantasy sports or federally regulated prediction markets. “This legislation does not address Prediction Markets platforms, which are regulated by the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission and beyond our state control,” he pointed out. “It also does not impact the fantasy leagues recognized by many other states as ‘skill-based games’.”

Prediction markets continue to be available to Utah residents on platforms like Kalshi, which enable users to speculate on event outcomes that bear resemblance to player proposition bets. Last September, Utah Representative John Curtis co-signed a letter with five other lawmakers urging the Commodity Futures Trading Commission not to authorize the extension of these platforms into sports betting.

Utah’s legislative action is occurring amidst a re-evaluation of proposition betting in other regions. In New Jersey, Assembly Bill 5971, introduced in November, seeks to ban in-game proposition wagers, referred to in the text as micro-betting. This measure was driven by integrity concerns related to professional and collegiate sports, and its Senate counterpart is currently under review.

Another proposal in New Jersey, Senate Bill 1170, aims to outlaw bets on individual college athlete performances. This bill, introduced with bipartisan backing, aligns with the NCAA’s renewed push for a nationwide ban on college-specific prop bets. Meanwhile, the Missouri Gaming Commission recently decided against imposing restrictions on college player props, just two months after legal sports betting was initiated.