WASHINGTON, DC— Congressman Chris Cannon (R-UT) today announced that President Bush has signed into law the Security and Accountability for Every Port (SAFE Port) Act Conference Report.  Included in the bill was language to extend the prohibition on gambling using wire communication facilities to include Internet technologies, effectively curbing Internet gambling in the U.S.

The bill includes provisions, authored by Cannon, guaranteeing that states – like Utah – which have banned all forms of gambling within their borders will not have their laws trumped by federal legislation.  Previous incarnations of the bill did not offer this protection.

“By signing this bill into law, President Bush helped secure our ports and struck a decisive blow to Internet gambling. Gambling is a vice, and Internet gambling is especially insidious.  Internet gambling sites lack the necessary tools to protect children, and can cross state borders with the click of a mouse,” Cannon said.

The impact is already being felt.  The Associated Press reporting that a British company, Sportingbet PLC, today sold its U.S. operations following these efforts to ban Internet gambling.  Also, stock prices for other Internet gambling operations dropped significantly after the bill’s passage.