Editorial: Hypocrisy charge causes rethinking

Friday, June 30, 2000 | 9:30 a.m.

Those who want to ban college sports betting in Nevada are struggling to get a vote on the measure in Congress. Opponents of gambling not only are fighting the gaming industry's clout, but they also are battling time, since there aren't many days left in a legislative session shortened by an election year. Still, even if supporters of a ban fall short this year, they certainly will regroup and push for a prohibition in 2001.

So earlier this week Gov. Kenny Guinn held a strategy session to see what other steps the state could take next year to head off such a ban, which could hurt Nevada's gaming industry. One of the weak links in Nevada's opposition to the legislation is the fact that there is a state regulation that prohibits betting on Nevada college teams. Supporters of a ban say that if this state is so worried that its own college teams are susceptible to corruption, it is hypocritical for Nevadans to oppose a prohibition on wagering on the rest of the university teams in the nation.

In response, Guinn acknowledges -- correctly -- that it is time to consider whether Nevada's 5-decade-old regulation should be repealed. No one should be fooled into thinking that junking this regulation will automatically result in the anti-gaming forces going away. But a repeal would erase an inconsistency in Nevada's opposition to a ban on sports betting, a prohibition that would do nothing other than to drive sports betting underground, where it won't be adequately regulated.