Everything we found in Utah
Utah has the broadest ban of any state. Every fact below comes from the Utah Constitution as published by the Utah Legislature, the Utah Code (read October 5, 2026) and the official Powerball FAQ (read October 8, 2026), linked in the sources.
No state lottery
Article VI, Section 27 of the Utah Constitution, “Games of chance not authorized,” is one sentence: “The Legislature shall not authorize any game of chance, lottery or gift enterprise under any pretense or for any purpose.” There is no exception for charities, casinos or the state itself. Changing it takes a constitutional amendment approved by voters; a proposal to allow a state-run lottery has been drafted in recent sessions and had not passed as of our review date.
A ticket bought in another state
A Utahn who holds a Powerball or Mega Millions ticket bought it across a state line. Two things follow:
- It is claimed where it was bought. The official Powerball FAQ says “Prizes must be claimed in the jurisdiction where the winning ticket was purchased.” A ticket from Wyoming is claimed in Wyoming; Wyoming’s claim deadline: 180 days after the drawing (WyoLotto Powerball game rules, checked Oct 8, 2026).
- That state’s rules apply: its claim deadline, its tax withholding, its rule on whether a winner’s name is public. Read the page for the state printed on the ticket; for example Wyoming or New Mexico, which has a 90-day deadline. Idaho, Colorado and Arizona also border Utah.
We are not suggesting anyone travel to buy tickets. This page is for people who already hold one.
A pool of Utah residents
A pool is a private agreement among adults about who paid for a ticket and how a prize is shared; the agreement is the only record of it. The ticket’s own state decides how the prize is paid, and the agreement names who claims for the group. Utah’s criminal code also makes “participating in gambling” a class B misdemeanor (Utah Code 76-9-1402) and defines gambling as “risking anything of value for a return or risking anything of value upon the outcome of a contest, game, gaming scheme, or gaming device” when the outcome “is based on an element of chance” (Utah Code 76-9-1401). Whether that reaches a private agreement about a ticket bought in another state is a question for a Utah lawyer; we are not lawyers.
Pool creation on ShareTheWinning
Pool creation is not open for Utah, because Utah has no state lottery: there is no Utah lottery whose tickets a pool could play or record. The short answer at the top of this page says the same. A ticket bought in another state follows that state’s rules, so read the page for the state printed on the ticket; the split calculator and the “If we win” stop on the Journey use that state’s deadline, privacy rule and tax rate.
Read How a pool claims a prize and, after a win, You won. The first five things to do.
