Cannon hails 'win' on gambling ban bill

WASHINGTON — Rep. Chris Cannon says he barely prevented Congress on Wednesday from inadvertently making gambling legal in Utah through a bill that, ironically, is designed to ban most Internet gambling.

But critics say Cannon erred, and the bill never would have allowed Internet gambling in Utah. They also say Cannon, R-Utah, and allies, most of whom were Democrats, may have killed for the year efforts to make it harder to place bets online.

That came as Cannon led a drive in the House Judiciary Committee to amend a bill that seeks to outlaw paying for online bets with credit cards, electronic transfers or other banking transactions. Supporters say that would kill most Internet gambling.

However, Cannon was upset that the bill still allowed paying for online bets if they are a "lawful transaction with a business licensed or authorized by a state."

Cannon said, "This would exempt, in my view, horse racing, dog racing, lotteries" and jai alai. He had letters from conservative groups that agreed.

Worse, he said the language also appeared to make such forms of Internet betting legal from anywhere in America — even Utah and Hawaii, the only two states that have banned all forms of gambling.

"It is my determination to protect Utah from the invasion of gambling from the outside, particularly from the Internet," Cannon told the committee. "I hate gambling."

So Cannon moved to remove that wording and close what he saw as a loophole. To the chagrin of most fellow Republicans, Cannon won 16-15 — with just six Republicans joining with 10 Democrats for that win.

Democrats have sought to weaken or kill the bill so they can push instead efforts to allow online gambling, but closely regulate it. Cannon has cosponsored Democratic bills to study how to regulate gambling, and said it may better keep gambling out of Utah.

Republicans supporting the Internet gambling ban bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, argued that Cannon was misinterpreting the wording he removed. Even without the amendment, "I still believe gambling would be unlawful in Utah," said Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C.

For example, Coble said he felt a state lottery in Tennessee under the original wording could not sell tickets online if it could not guarantee that only people in that state were buying them, and not places like Utah where it is outlawed. Cannon insisted Coble was wrong, and said that removing the wording made it clear that gambling in Utah would continue to be illegal.