Reid blocks attempt to resurrect betting bill

Benjamin Grove

Thursday, June 29, 2000 | 11:20 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., on the Senate floor today confirmed his intention to push for debate and a vote on a bill that would ban betting on college sports in Nevada casinos.

"I have made a commitment to try to consider this ... at some point," said Lott, who controls much of the action on the Senate floor. "This issue is one that we need to find a way to address."

But Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, the assistant Democratic leader, objected, effectively blocking the bill for now. Lott could try to bring the bill up again at any time, although he likely would face another objection from Reid. It's possible Lott could try to work out a time with Reid that the legislation could be debated.

Reid on the floor said that the Senate is in the middle of debate on important issues and should not delay action on matters like minimum wage, prescription drugs and education.

"This is not the appropriate time to do it," Reid said.

Lott has told Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., that he could lead the fight for the bill. Brownback asked Reid, if not now, when can the bill be debated?

"This bill has broad bipartisan support across the country," Brownback said. "We have a lot of difficulty with students being involved in gambling themselves. We need to have a vote." Brownback called sports betting the "gateway" to addictive compulsive gambling.

Brownback and other bill supporters, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., say that betting on college sports leads to game-fixing and rampant illegal gambling on college campuses by students.

Nevada's members of Congress strongly disagree and have fought to kill the bill.

McCain is chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which passed the betting ban bill to the full Senate. Speculation has swirled about how, when and if Lott would bring up the bill for debate and a vote.