Dean Smith endorses betting ban

Laurence Arnold

Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2000 | 5:17 a.m.

WASHINGTON - Dean Smith, college basketball's career victory leader, sought another win Tuesday by endorsing an effort in Congress to outlaw gambling on collegiate sports.

"We're talking about something that can taint young people," said Smith, who retired in 1997 after 36 seasons and 879 victory at th University of North Carolina.

He said he is not troubled by the fact that the legislation would affect only Nevada, the one state where betting on college sports is legal.

"It can't hurt anybody in Vegas," he said. Casinos "can still take (bets on) the pro games. It isn't like they aren't making enough money."

Lawmakers who support the betting ban brought Smith to Capitol Hill in hopes of gaining some end-of-session momentum for legislation in both chambers.

The Senate Commerce Committee approved the ban in April, but it has not come up for a vote on the floor. The House Judiciary Committee will consider the legislation on Wednesday.

Referring to the millions of dollars given by the gambling industry to both parties, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the bill is threatened only because of "the influence of big money in American politics."

Still, Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., said he has been assured by Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi that the bill's supporters will get a chance this year to muster 60 votes to break a certain filibuster by Nevada's senators.

Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., warned gambling advocates in his state recently that the ban would likely pass by a veto-proof majority if it gets to a vote on the floor.

A sponsor of the bill in the House, Rep. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he is certain at least 300 of the 435 representatives would support it.

Smith is one of several high-profile college coaches enlisted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, a major force behind the bill.

Kentucky basketball coach Tubby Smith and South Carolina football coach Lou Holtz testified during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in June that players are under pressure to lose games or shave points from a victory margin.

Defenders of Nevada's sports-betting industry say 99 percent of gambling on college sports occurs illegally on college campuses rather than legally in Nevada casinos. The legislation, they say, would harm Nevada without making a dent in a national problem.

Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., who lobbies on behalf of casinos as president of the American Gaming Association, said Congress "should reject this 'feel-good' legislation that would shut down a legitimate, legal business in one state."

The Nevada gambling industry took in $2.3 billion in sports wagers in fiscal 1999, with 30 percent to 40 percent bet on college sports.

A 1992 law signed by President George Bush banned sports wagering in 47 states. Nevada got an exemption, as did Oregon, which allows betting on pro football through a lottery, and Delaware, which has not adopted sports betting despite a 1976 public vote approving it.

New Jersey was given one year to decide whether to sanction sports betting but never held a referendum.

Proponents, including Smith, say a ban would have national repercussions because it would encourage newspapers to stop printing point spreads for college games.

The Newspaper Association of America disagrees. It predicts newspapers will continue to print point spreads because they "appear to be useful, if not valuable, to readers who have no intention of betting on games."