Utah House Bill 23 aims to close up a loophole in the law that has served to encourage the proliferation of electronic sweepstakes machines in convenience stores in the state.
The bill was forwarded to floor after an 11-1 vote of the House Business and Labor Committee. The machines are called “fringe gaming” by the bill. Customers buy tokens for cash and deposit them, hoping to win larger sums that are paid out in rewards cards.
The state’s law enforcement has been scrutinizing the games for two years, under the guidance of Assistant Attorney General Steven Wuthrich. He help write the bill and contests the view that the games are just a variation on games like you find at McDonald’s where you can win a happy meal from a coupon. It is more accurate to call it a game of chance, he says calling them “a functional equivalent to slot machines that you would see in Wendover, Nevada.”
