McCain seizes lead role in battle against college sports betting

Laurence Arnold

Friday, March 24, 2000 | 12:25 p.m.

WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain, a longtime supporter of legalized gambling, is taking on Nevada's powerful gambling industry in one of his first battles since returning to Congress from the presidential campaign trail.

Securing a lead role in the effort by colleges to ban betting on amateur sporting events, the Arizona Republican scheduled a hearing on the issue Wednesday before the Senate Commerce Committee he chairs.

McCain introduced his own legislation this week out of fears that another bill he is cosponsoring will never move out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to an aide. He copied the language of that measure, added a provision for more research on the use of performance-enhancing drugs and introduced the package as a new bill.

"Betting on college and amateur sports corrupts the integrity of competition and places our young athletes at the mercy of bookies and bettors," the senator said in a statement.

The maneuver puts McCain in the forefront of efforts by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and other groups to outlaw betting on amateur sports, a form of gambling now legal only in Nevada.

But it also puts him at odds with colleagues from both parties who say Nevada's sports-betting industry should not be blamed for point-shaving scandals and illegal betting on college campuses.

The legislation would outlaw betting on Olympic, college or high school athletic events. Though there is little legal betting on the Olympics and none on high school sports, Nevada's gambling industry does accept bets on college sporting events that do not involve a Nevada school.

A ban on college sports betting was first proposed Feb. 1 by Sens. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. McCain signed on as a cosponsor. That bill was assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

A spokeswoman for the committee said Thursday that hearings are planned, though not yet scheduled.

"It became very apparent to Senator McCain that the (Brownback-Leahy) bill was going to receive, at best, very bad treatment in the Judiciary Committee and likely would die in the Judiciary Committee with no action at all," said David Crane, who works for McCain on the Commerce Committee.

Brownback, who sits on the Commerce Committee, said he supports McCain's move.

Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., who lobbies for casinos as president of the American Gaming Association, said his group will try to convince the Commerce Committee that "the real problem is illegal wagering on college campuses, not legal betting in Nevada."

Until now, McCain has been viewed as friendly to gambling interests. He has defended Indian tribal casinos and, according to Fahrenkopf, has been a frequent spectator at professional boxing matches in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas casino executives Steve Wynn and J. Terrance Lanni each gave $1,000 to McCain's unsuccessful campaign for the GOP presidential nomination.