Utah Legislator Reintroduces State Lottery Proposal For 2026 Ballot

Utah state Rep. Kera Birkeland has confirmed her intentions with a local news source to reintroduce a constitutional amendment to legalize a state lottery.

Although her initial proposal in December 2023 saw little progress, Birkeland is bringing the bill back amid growing public support. The amendment would appear on the 2026 general election ballot for voter consideration if approved.

Birkeland proposes a compromise rather than legalizing the lottery statewide. Only counties bordering states with lotteries, including those bordering Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, and Wyoming, will be able to sell tickets. Counties bordering Nevada, including Weber, Davis, and Salt Lake, would be excluded.

“What I’m proposing this year is that any county that borders a state with the lottery can open up and have the lottery in that county,” Birkeland told FOX 13 News. “So that you don’t have people in the heart of Salt Lake City or wherever else, just walking down the street to a convenience store, buying a lottery ticket. It still creates a little bit of a work to get there.”

The governor is not on board

Utah is one of two states that completely prohibit all forms of gambling (the other is Hawaii), and a constitutional amendment is required to legalize a state lottery. The proposal continues to face opposition in the state. Gov. Spencer Cox voiced his concern during the PBS Utah Governor’s Monthly News Conference in December. He said he believes lotteries and gambling in general “do more harm than good.” 

However, Birkeland argues that her proposal aims to capture the nearly $200 million Utah residents already spend on lottery tickets in neighboring states, such as Arizona. She suggests that the money could instead be used inside Utah, potentially lowering taxes for state residents.

“What I’m trying to do is just capture the existing behavior of people who will drive across the state line to buy those tickets,” Birkeland told FOX 13 News. “There’s still those saying that this is, you know, really going to decay morally our state, and to them I just hope that this compromise is showing we’re not again, changing behaviors, we’re just capturing those same behaviors within our state limits.”

Recent lottery pushes in Alabama

One of the other five states without any legalized lottery, Alabama, saw its attempts this year to introduce a lottery hit a standstill.

Despite strong initial support, the state’s legislative session ended without progress, and Gov. Kay Ivey has opted not to call a special session to revisit the issue this year.