SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — It may be an opening wager – a new proposal at the Utah State Capitol is making a run for pari-mutuel horse racing, with counties opting to allow betting on outcomes at the track.

Senate Bill 156 was released on Thursday morning.

It would create a pair-mutuel horse racing commission, with members appointed by the governor to oversee permits and licensing.

Under the measure, voters – county by county – would decide whether to allow park-mutuel racing within their borders.

“On or before December 31, 2025, each county legislative body shall put the question of whether to allow pari-mutuel events within the county in a general or special election,” according to the bill.

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If voters vote no, county leaders could hold another vote in just weeks.

Decades ago, rural Utah lawmakers chased the prospect of pari-mutuel betting but never made it to the finish line.

At the time, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expressed opposition to the plan.

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