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Senate approves bill to close loophole for "fringe" gambling kiosks, raises prize cap
Summary
The Senate passed House Bill 23 to tighten rules on gambling-like kiosks, raising the allowable novelty prize from under $5 to under $50, setting an 18‑year age minimum and a one‑hour play limit. Sponsor Senator Weiler said the change targets devices resembling slot machines and protects children and vulnerable adults.
The Utah Senate voted to pass House Bill 23 on Feb. 14, a measure the sponsor described as aimed at closing a loophole that has allowed “fringe” gambling kiosks in businesses such as laundromats and convenience stores.
“Over 400 machines have been removed already by the attorney general's office, but there are some loopholes that this strives to tighten,” sponsor Sen. Curt Weiler said on the Senate floor, summarizing the bill’s purpose. The text narrows the definition of devices that count as gambling machines, sets an 18‑year minimum age to play and includes a one‑hour time limit for use.
Working with stakeholders, Weiler said he moved an amendment to raise the threshold for the novelty/reward value from under $5 to under $50. “I've been asked to change a $5 limit up to $50,” he said while offering Amendment 2, which the Senate adopted.
Senators asked whether the kiosks collect personal data. A floor questioner raised concern that some machines allow play only after providing personal information; Weiler responded that data collection would be voluntary and that the bill “is certainly not a backdoor to data collection.”
Sen. Karen Maine, who said the machines have been a problem in her district, described a constituent whose funds intended for other needs were spent at a nearby kiosk. “He went across the street to a convenience store where they have these machines,” Maine said.
After floor debate and adoption of the amendment, the Senate recorded the measure’s third-reading vote. House Bill 23 passed the body by voice and roll-call procedures; the tally recorded in the transcript shows the bill was read for a third time with 27 yea votes, 0 nay votes and 2 absent.
The bill allows promotional activities ancillary to a business (for example, on-premise novelty games at restaurants) to remain lawful while targeting devices that mimic slot machines and could expose minors or vulnerable adults to gambling-like activity.
The measure will return to the House for further consideration as a House-originated bill that passed the Senate.
