Nevadans attack proposed college sports betting ban

Benjamin Grove

Tuesday, June 13, 2000 | 11:19 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Nevada's Congress members and state gaming officials were prepared to plead with the House Judiciary Committee today to trash a bill that would ban betting on college sports.

They urged approval of an alternative bill that would order a Justice Department study of illegal gambling nationwide.

"Eliminating legal bets in Nevada as a way of stamping out illegal betting on college sports is as preposterous as suggesting that outlawing aspirin would stop the sale of illegal drugs," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said in a prepared statement.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., added, "The fact is, legal wagering on sports in Nevada makes up only 1 to 3 percent of all sports bets nationwide. The other 97 to 99 percent occurs illegally despite existing federal and state laws."

Nevada and the gaming industry squared off against some tough opponents: high-profile and respected coaches Lou Holtz of South Carolina and Tubby Smith of Kentucky.

"Washington, we have a problem," Holtz told the Judiciary panel.

Smith said he constantly worries about gamblers getting to his players to fix a game. "Every day, you think about it," Smith said. "You worry that your players have the integrity to do the right thing."

Graham Spanier, Penn State University president and National Collegiate Athletic Association chairman, testified that "perfectly legal and deceptively glamorous" gambling in Nevada creates pressure on coaches and athletes nationwide. He said that while tightly regulated casinos argue that they can help spot game-fixers, "they have never helped to prevent a scandal."

The bill, which the committee was not scheduled to vote on today, bans all wagers on college sports. Nevada is the only state that allows betting on college sports, so the bill effectively seeks to close a "Las Vegas loophole."

Supporters say the legislation will make it tougher for "campus bookies" to operate, thereby decreasing rampant gambling by college students.

Nevada lawmakers and gamers say the bill will accomplish nothing but fuel more illegal gambling.

At press time, Berkley and Gibbons had not yet testified before the committee. Among the others assembled to argue Nevada's case: Nevada Gaming Commission Chairman Brian Sandoval, Nevada Gaming Control Board member Bobby Siller and chief gaming lobbyist Frank Fahrenkopf of the American Gaming Associatiation.

Fahrenkopf submitted 25 pages of testimony to counter the NCAA's arguments for the bill.

The bill "will do nothing to improve law enforcement, increase research, or bring treatment and prevention programs (for gambling) into wider use," Fahrenkopf's testimony said.

Sens. Richard Bryan and Harry Reid, both D-Nev., on Monday were told by committee officials they could not testify. They fired off a testy letter to Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., saying, "Your failure to appreciate the significance of this matter is very disturbing. It is ironic that a Congress, which professes to be supportive of states' rights, is preventing Nevada's two senators from testifying against a measure, which tramples our state's rights."

The NCAA, which represents 1,257 colleges and universities, is urging Congress to pass the gambling ban. The comprehensive National Gambling Impact Study, commissioned by Congress and released last year, cited rampant student betting on campuses and recommended the betting ban.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has led an effort to pass a similar betting ban in the Senate. He is chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which in April approved the bill he authored.

The bill awaits a full Senate debate and vote. As early as this week, the Senate could consider the bill as an amendment to a Defense Department spending bill.

In the House, Reps. Tim Roemer, D-Ind., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who sits on the Judiciary Committee, are leading the push for the legislation.

"Today the magic and purity of amateur athletics is being threatened by the growing influence of gambling," Roemer said in a statement. "'Not by small-time office betting pools or parking lot wagers, but by high-stakes, legal, government-sanctioned gambling: some $1 billion worth last year alone on college sports."

The bill's future this year is uncertain.

But the bill has other allies in the House, some sitting on the Judiciary Committee.

"I'm so biased on this issue, perhaps I shouldn't even speak," said Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who said Nevada's economic interest should not play a factor in this debate.

"Even if we err, we should err on the side of protecting student athletes," Waters said.

Hyde opened the hearing by saying, "I have come to this hearing with an open mind," then added, "I'm sure all of us here are eager to protect the integrity of amateur sports in America."

Nevada may have a few friends on the committee, too. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, fired several questions at Spanier and James Delany, commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, about what the NCAA is doing to curb illegal gambling on campus.

Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., told the college officials that they seemed to seek a "supply-side solution to a demand-side problem."

One other Nevadan will weigh in on the topic later today: Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is scheduled to appear at 8 p.m. on "Hardball with Chris Matthews" on CNBC, Cox cable channel 35, along with Graham and Holtz. The show also will be shown on MSNBC, Cox cable channel 47, at 11 p.m.