完全禁止博彩经营的犹他州，在上一周再一次强化了他们的“拒绝博彩州”的形象。立法者通过了一项法案以确保在线扑克仍是如联邦法律规定那样被掌控的。
一些州已经选择退出了联邦法律的规定，但是犹他州则在积极地执行，立法者通过法案规定在犹他州进行在线扑克是非法的，这项轻罪可能会让触犯者被判入狱。
犹他州禁止在线扑克并不意外，这个州禁止彩票、赌场以及任何形式的博彩经营存在，在一些州期望以博彩行业拯救经济的时候，犹他州坚信博彩是危害社会的。“犹他州再一次表明了他们拒绝博彩的立场”博彩分析家布拉德.道金斯表示“上周通过的法案将使以后的州长或是立法者更难提出允许博彩的议题”
在犹他州禁止在线扑克的同时，其他州都在加紧规范这个能够带来亿万财政收入和大量就业机会的行业，以摆脱经济不景气的困扰。在线扑克已经成为整个国家最具争议的一个话题。
在西部，加利福尼亚州和内华达州已在考虑管控在线扑克，内华达州的立法者在去年年底完成了这项工作，加利福尼亚州则还在努力完善细节问题，而加利福尼亚州和内华达州是被是为整个国家博彩业的先行者。在中部地区，爱荷华州和伊利诺斯州领导着在线扑克管控的变革，在伊利诺斯的第一回合立法者驳回了管控在线扑克的议案，在爱荷华，议案业遭遇失败，但是不少立法者立法者还是很乐观地认为会达成一致的。佛罗里达和新泽西则是东海岸开放第一家在线赌场的位居领先的两个候选人，新泽西看起来走在阳光州前面，当地的选民在去年已经通过了体育博彩，参议员雷蒙德.雷斯尼亚克是新泽西在线博彩的强有力支持着，他希望在今年年底大西洋城在线赌场能够开始运营。
译文：
No Online Poker In Utah As State Opts Out Of Federal Law
Utah has been one of the states that has maintained their allegiance to not allowing gambling, and the state further imprinted themselves as a non-gaming state this past week. Lawmakers passed a bill that will ensure that online poker remains prohibited should federal laws regulate the industry.
Individual states have the option to opt-out of federal laws, and Utah legislators were proactive this past week in doing so. The lawmakers passed a bill that will make it illegal to play online poker in Utah. The crime would be considered a misdemeanor that could land individuals that break the law in jail.
It comes as no surprise that Utah has decided against allowing online poker. The state does not allow lotteries, casinos, or any other form of gaming. In an age when gambling is being looked at as an economic savior for many states, Utah has held firm to their core beliefs that gambling is harmful to society.
"Utah has made it clear time and again that they want no part of regulated gaming," said Gaming Analyst Brad Dawkins. "The bill passed last week will make it increasingly difficult should a future governor or lawmaker from the state want to revisit the gambling issue."
While Utah is banning online poker, other states are in a mad rush to regulate an industry that promises to bring hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue and thousands of jobs to states that are suffering from the economic recession. Online poker has become one of the most debated issues in states all across the US.
Out West, California and Nevada have considered regulating online poker. Nevada legislators accomplished the feat late last year, while California legislators are still trying to work out the details of the issue. California and Nevada are considered to be two of the leaders in the US gaming industry.
In the Central part of the US, Iowa and Illinois have led the charge for regulated online poker. The first round of negotiations in Illinois led lawmakers to dismiss legislation that would have regulated online gambling. In Iowa, the bills have also failed, but there is more optimism among lawmakers that a deal can be reached.
On the East Coast, Florida and New Jersey are the leading candidates to open the first online casino. New Jersey appears ahead of the Sunshine State, with voters already approving sports betting last year. Senator Raymond Lesniak has been the strongest proponent of online gambling in New Jersey, and he hopes to have online casinos up and running in Atlantic City by the end of the year。
