More ads for the buffet
A measure introduced in the Utah Legislature is designed to prohibit advertising of gambling by Nevada casinos.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Scott Wyatt, prohibits advertising within Utah that promotes activities that are legal in other states but not in Utah. While the bill would prohibit any such advertising, it is aimed at gambling. Wyatt, a Logan Republican and former prosecutor, sponsored legislation earlier this year that more directly banned casino ads.
How effective the ban would be if it were enacted is open to dispute. In all likelihood, most casinos would continue advertising in Utah with material that showcased their restaurants and shows. That is the kind of advertising Nevada casinos had to use through most of state history, until a federal ban on gambling advertising was lifted on June 14, 1999. On that date, in Greater New Orleans Broadcasting Association vs. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a section of the federal Communications Act of 1934 that outlawed casino ads.
A new Utah ban would probably also provoke a lawsuit against the state seeking a similar result to the New Orleans case.