Gibbons: Betting ban in trouble

Monday, May 1, 2000 | 11:30 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said today legislation to ban betting on collegiate sports won't be approved by Congress this year.

Gibbons said he has a guarantee from House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., that the bill "won't see the light of day."

His statement came as he filed for a third term to represent the district that covers all of Nevada except parts of Clark County.

A bill in the Senate to stop betting on collegiate sports has cleared a committee but hasn't come to a floor vote. There's been no action on a similar measure in the House.

Gibbons, who called the legislation "misguided," has sponsored a measure calling for the Justice Department to study illegal gambling in the nation. He said it doesn't make sense to shut down the legal gambling in Nevada.

The NCAA supports outlawing betting on collegiate sports events, and there are some who want to extend that to professional sporting events.

Gibbons said a far greater problem is the millionaire sports figures who are gambling illegally and shaving points.

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