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It goes without saying, Utah is the least friendly state in the U.S. when it comes to gambling. There is ZERO regulated gambling, not even a state lottery.
The irony of course is that Utahns still gamble, and they won't be deprived of doing so this March Madness courtesy of a handful of reliable offshore sportsbooks (licensed in other countries but still available to those in the United States), prediction markets, daily fantasy sports sites offering player parlays and, of course, the local Utah bookies.
It's important again to stress that Utah does not regulate any type of sports betting business. If you have a dispute, no Utah officials are going to assist in any way. It is gambling after all.
Yes Folks in Utah Gamble
About 42% of Utahns are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to a 2023 study published in the Journal of Religion and Demography. The church forbids members from gambling. Some still do.
Church doctrine prohibits gambling in any form, saying it is motivated by “a desire to get something for nothing” and is destructive to individuals and families.
This percentage also leaves 58% of those in the state who are not prohibited from gambling per se.
Kera Birkeland, a former Utah Republican representative, once told Axios that Utahns spent approximately $200 million a year on lotteries in other states.
While Pay Per Head sites like AcePerHead do not actively promote their platform to those in Utah, bookies still exist in the state and must rely on these types of software providers as opposed to the golden days of a pen and paper.
And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that many residents of the state will want to place bets on this year's March Madness tournament, even with Utah Valley just barely missing an opportunity to play in their first ever NCAA tournament.
Sophomore forward Isaac Davis botched a potential game-tying alley-oop dunk with just over three seconds left in the Western Athletic Conference title game before the league rebrands before next season.
Utah Valley (25-8), which had won back-to-back WAC regular-season titles, saw its seven-game winning streak snapped.
That's why they call it #WACvegas!@CBUmbb is making their first ever trip to @MarchMadnessMBB pic.twitter.com/4C30Qb38b3
— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) March 15, 2026
Utah Valley's story still provided a taste of what was possible. Residents of the state won't tune out that quickly when it comes to the upcoming tournament, especially considering they still have teams taking part in this year's Big Dance.
The Utah State Aggies are in courtesy of an automatic bid after winning the Mountain West Conference tournament. It is the 4th season in a row for this school.
In 13 seasons in the Mountain West, the Aggies hadn't won an outright regular season title and conference tournament title in the same season, though this year's rings will be number five and six for Utah State in its MW era.
The win by the Aggies broke a tie between it and San Diego State set up from the last four meetings in the title game.
And then there is the BYU Cougars men's college basketball team. They are forecast to be one of the top seeds in this year's tournament.
Following a strong finish to the 2025-26 season despite a quarterfinal loss in the Big 12 Tournament, the team is projected to have a high-seed (seeded 6th in some projections) and is considered a dangerous contender.
Kingston Fleming scored 17 points as No. 5 Houston held off AJ Dybantsa and defeated BYU 73-66 in the Big 12 quarterfinals Thursday night.
Dybantsa played all 40 minutes, finishing with 26 points, but he was held to 3-of-10 shooting in the second half. He came into the game just 25 points shy of Kevin Durant’s record of 92, set in the 2007 Big 12 tournament. His 3-pointer with 4 seconds left gave him the record.
Not only will you be able to bet on BYU outright wins for this tournament, Dybantsa player props will be readily available as well.
Kalshi insists it can operate legally in Utah based on it being federally licensed
What About Prediction Markets Like Kalshi
You may have read here on Gambling911.com that Kalshi is preemptively suing the state of Utah for trying to prevent it from allowing what they term as "trading" by Utah residents.
Kalshi argues its product is different from sportsbooks companies or casinos because customers are betting against each other instead of against the “house,” spokesperson Elisabeth Diana said.
The prediction market is suing the state's Governor, Spencer Cox, along with the state's Attorney General, Derek Brown.
All the state’s major politicians, including the governor, lieutenant governor and its entire congressional delegation, are members of the church headquartered in Salt Lake City.
And, indeed, Kalshi is offering trading on how deep BYU goes in this year's tournament. 31% have the Cougars advancing to the Sweet 16.
Unlike traditional sportsbooks, prediction markets only offer YES or NO options as opposed to spreads on moneylines.
The options may be limited but Kalshi insists it is able to operate in Utah as they are licensed federally by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). And the CFTC has made it clear as to their stance on Kalshi's ability to offer their product to those in Utah.
CFTC Chairman Michael Selig said last month: “The CFTC will no longer sit idly by while overzealous state governments undermine the agency’s exclusive jurisdiction over these markets by seeking to establish statewide prohibitions on these exciting products.”
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
