Delegation declares its unity in battling NCAA

Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2001 | 11:20 a.m.

Nevada's congressional delegation emerged this morning from a Capitol Hill strategy session tight-lipped, but pledging unity in its sports betting fight with the NCAA.

"I think there's great unity within the delegation," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said after the hourlong meeting.

"We're all dealing through our strengths. Each one of us brings something to the table, and we're going to work together in a very united and concerted way to stop this legislation."

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said the four members of the delegation agreed not to disclose the details of the meeting to avoid tipping off the NCAA about their plans to battle the organization's efforts to ban betting in Nevada on college sports.

"There's an understanding by the four of us that we need to keep the strategy among ourselves until we're ready to go forward with it," Gibbons said.

"Even though we're politically divided, we're united in our effort to defend Nevada, especially on those issues designed to penalize the state, like the sports betting issue."

The strategy session took place in the office of Sen. Harry Reid, the delegation's senior member. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., the newest member of the delegation, and the casino industry's Washington lobbying team, including American Gaming Association President Frank Fahrenkopf, also were on hand.

"I think the delegation has always been united in defending Nevada and its interests," Fahrenkopf said. "This was the first meeting of the new delegation, and it was a very positive meeting."

Though their marching orders were to keep quiet, those attending the meeting said a decision was made to put off until next week plans to introduce the delegation's bill calling for a Justice Department investigation of illegal sports betting in America.

The bill, which is expected to be introduced simultaneously in both houses, is considered the cornerstone of Nevada's strategy against the NCAA. It seeks to put pressure on the NCAA to address illegal betting at colleges across the country.

"Our attitude is that gambling that goes on at campuses is illegal, and there ought to be zero tolerance," one delegation source told the Sun this week. "And there are provisions for zero tolerance in the bill."

Nevada lawmakers are hoping their bill will persuade Congress to delay the NCAA measure until the Justice Department gets a handle on the illegal betting problem. Wagering on college games at Nevada sports books amounts to a small fraction of the hundreds of billions of dollars bet each year -- legally and illegally -- on sporting events across the country.

Some within the delegation are pushing for the support of Attorney General-nominee John Ashcroft, a strong gambling opponent, in the fight.

There is hope that Ashcroft, who once called gambling a "cancer on the soul of our nation," will back the call for a Justice Department probe of illegal betting. If confirmed, Ashcroft, a conservative Republican with strong ties to the religious right, would head the Justice Department.

"If we can get the attorney general behind the bill, it probably would bring more Republicans on board, which is something we lacked last year," the delegation source said. "It would get us a fair hearing and the due process that we've been asking for."

Another key aspect of the delegation's strategy is to persuade the Bush administration to enter the fray, primarily on the grounds that legalized sports betting in Nevada is a state's rights issue. President Bush is a strong advocate of states rights.

Gibbons said he's hoping to set up a meeting with Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney at the end of February, when Gov. Kenny Guinn will be in Washington attending the National Governors Association winter conference.

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