Editorial: Gamers must step into ring

Friday, Dec. 22, 2000 | 9:53 a.m.

It's clear that Nevada has a tough road ahead in its fight against the NCAA's campaign to ban betting on college sports.

Our congressional delegation believes the NCAA and its influential allies on Capitol Hill will introduce a betting ban bill right out of the starting blocks of the next session of Congress. And since Nevada is the only state in the country that legalizes sports betting, we stand alone in this fight.

Of the $1.5 billion taken in each year at Nevada sports books, about $750 million comes from wagers on college games. That's a sizable chunk of change for local casinos to give up, but more importantly it's a loss of millions of dollars in taxes to keep our state government running. A loss of money here affects all of us.

The casino industry is notorious for not being organized when it comes to fighting battles in Washington. Only within the last five years, with the creation of the American Gaming Association, has it even maintained a presence on Capitol Hill. So it is not surprising to find the industry lacking cohesiveness in this potentially costly conflict.

Earlier this month Nevada Sen. Harry Reid gathered gaming's brightest minds together to impress upon them the importance of taking a more active role in the fight and developing a comprehensive strategy to combat the powerful NCAA. Reid, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, has been on Capitol Hill since 1982 and knows a tough battle when he sees it.

Last week Gov. Kenny Guinn did his part in summoning casino leaders to his office to make sure everyone is on the same page. Guinn pledged his unwavering support, but this is a fight that's going to require much more than that. It's going to force industry leaders to make a greater financial commitment and put aside egos and partisanship.

With the odds stacked against Nevada on this issue, the industry will have to work together more than ever to have even the slightest chance of prevailing. Although there appears to be a sincere desire to rally the forces, so far we don't see a total commitment.

We have only to look at the unusually tense relationship between the casino industry and the Culinary Union, which has had cordial ties with the majority of the industry over the years. Union leaders were stunned that members of the AGA sought to bring Venetian owner Sheldon Adelson, one of the union's arch-enemies, into the fold before reaching out to them for help in the fight. Adelson has strong political contacts in Washington, but so does the Culinary Union, particularly its international president, John Wilhelm, who is regarded as a rising star in America's labor movement.

The Culinary Union also is locked in a bitter battle with one of the industry's giants, Harrah's Entertainment Inc. Harrah's, an AGA member, has been resisting efforts to organize some 2,500 workers at the Rio hotel-casino. And union leaders were dismayed at the way hundreds of employees at the Fiesta and Santa Fe hotel-casinos lost their jobs during the holiday season, when another industry giant, Station Casinos, took over those neighborhood resorts.

Before it can hope to have any success against the NCAA, the industry needs to smooth over relations with the Culinary Union, which has proven to be a strong ally in Washington in the past. But gaming also has to demonstrate to Nevada's congressional delegation that it's serious about stepping into the ring.

The delegation can't win this battle on its own.