In a “shocking” announcement, Governor Gary Herbert said he does not support horse racing in Utah, or the bill submitted there to regulate parimutuel betting.

Senator David Hinkins filed the bill, and it would allow counties to decide whether they want to allow betting on horse racing or not. However, the governor of the state has already expressed “serious concerns about allowing parimutuel betting into Utah.”

The governor’s spokesman Paul Edwards said in a statement that “parimutuel betting doesn’t add to economic prosperity.”

Moreover, the spokesman said that because of how federal law treats gaming on Indian reservations, horse racing in Utah could open the door to other kinds of gambling that the state has constitutionally prohibited.

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