A Utah lawmaker rolled out a bill seeking to legalize horse race betting, despite the fact that gambling is for the time being illegal in Utah. The new bill called SB181 is sponsored by Senator David Hinkins. It will provide local voters with the chance to make decisions on the fate of wagering on horse racing or so-called “parimutuel betting” in each county.

According to the bill’s sponsor, the proposed piece of legislation is to be backed by some counties across the state. Senator Hinkins has further shared that to him, the state ban on horse race betting is an issue of rural economy. According to him, the tighter regime is hurting the entire horse industry, including not only horse breeders, who are forced to operate in neighboring states, but also farriers, hay growers and veterinarians.

UPDATE: Now, in late 2022, Utah still has no form of gambling at all. The state’s deep connection to the Mormon faith means any gambling is highly unlikely to be accepted. And the state is even one of five without a state lottery.

The state’s criminal code also make any form of gambling, let alone an effort to legalize horse race betting, will ever become reality. They have even written into that code that even if gambling is legalized at the federal level, it will remain illegal in Utah. But hey, Las Vegas is just a few hours away.

This story on legalize horse race betting in Utah originally appeared on the Casino Games Pro website.