This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Correction: A headline in Tuesday's edition contained an incorrect reference to Utah Republican congressman Chris Cannon's job title. Cannon is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
WASHINGTON - Rep. Chris Cannon said he would once again vigorously oppose a bill to ban Internet gambling, fearing it could be a "back door" to legalize some online wagering in Utah.
It is a long-held position for Cannon, although his motives have been questioned by those who point to political contributions to Cannon and a former chief of staff who lobbied for the Internet gambling industry.
"While I am an ardent opponent of gambling, one of the things I don't want to see is an opportunity for gambling because we pre-empt state law," Cannon said. "I don't want Utah to get bombarded with gambling if it becomes legal."
Utah is one of only two states that outlaws all forms of gambling. Hawaii is the other.
However, the bill's sponsor, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said opponents' claims that the bill would give special treatment expanding horse betting or any gambling enterprise, are absurd.
"I strongly disagree with anybody that says this legislation adds a carve-out for the horse racing industry," Goodlatte said. He said horse racing is already regulated by another federal law, and his bill wouldn't change that.
In the five years that various versions of the legislation have been debated, Goodlatte said the scope of Internet gambling has quadrupled. Today there are more than 2,300 gambling sites and $12 billion a year bet online, he said.
This year, the debate takes place in a Congress still dealing with fallout from a scandal involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who lobbied for online gambling interests and Indian tribes.
Cannon's former chief of staff, David Safavian, who also lobbied for online gambling interests before joining Cannon's staff, has been charged with misleading investigators probing a trip to Scotland he took with Abramoff after he left Cannon's office and went to work at the General Services Administration.
Despite repeatedly calling gambling a "pernicious vice," and "abhorrent," Cannon has opposed the Internet gambling ban each time it has been offered. Several times he has tried to amend the bill to take out the horse racing language, although backers of the legislation said Cannon's change would cost the bill the support it needs to pass.
Critics also have, in the past, questioned Cannon's taking more than $30,000 in campaign contributions from groups, lobbyists and Indian tribes with gambling interests or opposing the gambling ban.
And in addition to hiring Safavian, a former gambling lobbyist, as his chief of staff, Cannon has hired three other staffers who were previously registered lobbyists for the gambling industry.
"It all depends on where the congressman [Cannon] is getting his money from," said David Robertson, a board member with the National Center Against Legalized Gambling.
He said his group also opposes the horseracing provisions, but they would not override Utah's existing prohibition on gambling, and suggests the political contributions may have influenced his decision.
"We're perplexed. We don't know for sure where Cannon is coming from," he said.
Professional poker superstars Chris Ferguson and Howard Lederer were on hand for the hearing. They were in Washington lobbying for the Poker Players Alliance. Michasel Bolcerek, president of the alliance, called the bill censorship of the Internet that would deprive 20 million Americans from enjoying online poker.
"If lawmakers insist on pursuing such misguided legislation, they will do so without regard to the opinions of their constituents or the principles of civil liberty," Bolcerek said.