April 13 vote set on NCAA betting ban

Wednesday, April 5, 2000 | 11:03 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is plunging ahead with a bill that would ban betting on college sports in Nevada casinos.

McCain, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, has scheduled a hearing and likely vote April 13 on a version of his Amateur Sports Integrity Act, a committee spokeswoman said today. If approved the bill would go to the full Senate for debate.

During a hearing March 29, bill sponsors, including Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., a Commerce Committee member, argued that a college sports betting ban will help deter game-fixing schemes and maintain the integrity of college sports.

University of Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun joined their call to ban betting at sports books in Nevada, the only state with legal betting on college games.

Nevada representatives, including the state's four-member delegation in Congress, and high-profile gaming lobbyist Frank Fahrenkopf, argued against the bill. They say it won't stop game-fixing or address the problem of widespread betting by college students.

Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., also a committee member, said the bill is the "legislative equivalent of an air ball -- it simply misses the mark."

McCain has run into jurisdictional disputes over the bill with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, his former Republican presidential candidate rival. Hatch wants to handle the bill and has tried to block McCain's attempt to lead the charge.

The House has taken no action on its own version of the proposal.