Hearings set on college sports betting

David Strow

Wednesday, March 22, 2000 | 10:44 a.m.

The Senate Commerce Committee will conduct hearings on college sports wagering next week -- a move being denounced by a Nevada gaming industry lobbyist as unnecessary and politically motivated.

The committee, chaired by Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, will hear testimony on "the current state of sports gambling and its effects." The hearings will not, however, address the NCAA-backed Senate bill designed to ban betting on collegiate events, said committee spokeswoman Pia Pialorsi.

"It's just a general discussion to talk about the issue in general ... an informational hearing," Pialorsi said. "McCain wanted to hold the hearing."

The hearing is scheduled for March 29 before the full Commerce committee. Pialorsi said a list of witnesses has not been finalized.

McCain was a co-sponsor of a bill introduced in February that would ban all wagering on collegiate sporting events, including the now-legal betting activity in Nevada sports books. One of the bill's main sponsors was Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., who also is a member of the Commerce Committee.

"We expect the worst, because the hearing is going to be under the control of Sen. Brownback, who is the primary sponsor of this legislation," said Wayne Mehl, Washington representative for the Nevada Resort Association. "We don't expect any fairness and quality out of this hearing."

However, Pialorsi said the hearing will be chaired by McCain, who recently returned to the Senate after failing to win the Republican presidential nomination.

In announcing the hearing, McCain has outmaneuvered the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Hatch and the judiciary committee had planned to hold hearings on the Brownback bill next week. The committee later decided to push those hearings back until the NCAA's basketball tournament was complete.

"Commerce cannot pass this bill out of committee," Mehl said. "What they're doing doesn't make much sense at all. They're holding hearings over a bill over which they have no jurisdiction. They're doing everything they can to circumvent normal dealing with the bill."

Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association, also noted the conflict between committees, but promised to cooperate with Commerce.

"Although the pending sports wagering bills have been referred to the Judiciary Committee, the American Gaming Association is prepared to work with the Senate Commerce Committee to present the facts about this issue," Fahrenkopf said.

"The real problem is illegal wagering on college campuses, not legal betting in Nevada," he said. "We look forward to sharing these and other facts with members of Congress as they begin their study of this issue and to suggesting constructive steps that can and should be taken."