Offshore gaming perilous to Utah

A provision of Utah's state constitution prohibits all forms of gambling. The latest attempt to legalize any form of gambling was a statewide initiative in 1992 to permit pari-mutuel wagering on horse races. It failed at the polls by a 60 percent to 40 percent margin.

Utah's long-held opposition to gambling is, in part, an acknowledgment of the religious tenets of the state's largest religious body, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which owns this newspaper. It is also a recognition of a traditional societal responsibility to support government services through taxation. Moreover, it acknowledges the societal costs of problem gambling such as addiction; debt; damaged relationships with families, friends and employers; and a substantially higher risk of suicide than any other addictive disorder.

More importantly, Utah has held the line because policymakers understand that there is no such thing as a "little bit" of legalized gaming. Opening the door even a crack invites other forms of gaming such as tribal casinos.

This past week, a team of Deseret Morning News reporters has explored many issues surrounding gambling in a five-part series titled "Siren song, gambling's allure to Utahns." The series concludes today with, perhaps, the most vexing issue Utah has encountered to date in prohibiting gambling in its borders — the proliferation of off-shore online gambling.

In April, the World Trade Organization ruled in a case brought by the tiny island nation of Antigua — which hosts Internet gaming Web sites — that the United States cannot block other countries from offering Internet gambling to U.S. citizens, even if they live in states where all forms of gambling are prohibited. The ruling potentially means Utah could have few defenses to stop Internet gambling within its borders.

That's problematic on many levels. Unlike traditional forms of gambling, Internet gaming is particularly worrisome because many participants who play in the comfort and security of their own homes do not fully comprehend they are risking real money.

Worse, a 2002 University of Connecticut study found that online gamblers are more likely to have a serious gambling problem than people who play casino slot machines or the lottery. The Internet enables them to play games of chance in isolation, which can lead to unchecked risk-taking.

It's also a critical matter of sovereignty when the demands of a tiny island nation have the potential to trump the state's prohibition on all forms of gambling.