
I\’m not sure how much we\’re supposed to be sayin\’ about this … it seems like a major change in online-gambling law could still be in play in 2009 … but if so, our peeps in DC may be trying to keep it all on the downlow. At least that\’s what a staunchly anti-gambling Republican in Utah is trying to suggest.
\”I\’m raising the red flag,\” Chaffetz told the Deseret News on Wednesday. \”I feel the imperative to get this organized before it is too late.\”
Rep. Jason Chaffetz is speaking to his constituents sounding the warning bells that the billions and billions from online gambling that government just may not be able to say no to could dramatically alter everyone\’s way of life. And he doesn\’t just mean the positive stuff that we see from being able to play in safe and secure US-based games …
Chaffetz says a chance meeting he had with Frank makes him worry that unlike similar past efforts that went nowhere, Frank is deadly serious about legalizing online gambling this year, and it could come up quickly without much time to organize opposition.
\”I saw him in the airport in Salt Lake a number of weeks ago,\” Chaffetz said. \”I said, \’Barney, what are you doing here in Salt Lake?\’ He was traveling back from Las Vegas, which led to our discussion about his Internet gambling bills.\”
Chaffetz said, \”He assured me that come this fall, he would be getting these bills through his committee, and I believe him … He may be bluffing, but we can\’t afford to take that chance.\”
[…]
\”This has an unfortunate and real potential of happening,\” he said. \”This is a big deal. I can\’t impress upon you how big of a deal this is.\”
Wow. Cool. Awesome. We know we have public support for \”our issue\” and in general our facts fall on the right side of the law … so I gotta think we only stand to benefit if a guy like Chaffetz is using Frank\’s efforts to rally his own base in preparation for 2010 … because really, isn\’t that his game here?
Link props: @TheEngineer2008.
UPDATE: Chaffetz is on Twitter, too, as @JasonintheHouse. And he\’s also star of a new reality series on CNN called \”Freshman Year\”.
It is TV ratings season … and mainstream media folks tend to figure a few times a year that gambling stories are \”sexy\”.