Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman that was signed by 28 other state attorneys general, urged the removal of gambling from the General Agreement on Trades in Services. The attorneys general contend that the agreement could seriously undermine regulations on casinos, slot machines, state lotteries and Indian gaming rights.

"We believe that under our constitutional system of federalism, states should continue to have the flexibility and sovereign authority to determine whether and under what conditions gambling occurs within their borders, without such decisions being second-guessed by WTO tribunals," Shurtleff wrote.

A clerical error on the part of attorneys for Antigua may provide a glimmer of hope for Utah's ongoing fight to prohibit gambling. The attorneys for Antigua failed to spell out Utah's law in their legal filings, so the WTO refused to rule directly on the Utah law. Utah's prohibition could be part of the larger WTO ruling.

Adding to the confusion is the potential impact of CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, now being debated in the Senate. Online casinos are already seeking a haven in Costa Rica as another possible Internet gambling avenue into the United States.

Although Utah is a small Western state, it is prudent that Shurtleff and others continue to press this issue. Antigua's and Costa Rica's desire to further proliferate Internet gambling should not come at the expense of states whose laws expressly prohibit it.