Letter: No boon for bookies

Ron@lasvegassun.com

Friday, May 4, 2001 | 9:54 a.m.

Regarding Jeff Haney's sports betting column Wednesday ("Root states Nevada's case on Fox News show"):

While I am definitely against any form of gambling ban on college games, the one thing that bothers me is the insinuation (made by sports handicapper Wayne Root and others) that if there is a ban, it will be a boon to illegal bookies and the mob.

I don't know if you've ever had any connections to illegal bookies, but you just don't go down to the "Bookies-R-Us" store and sign up like you're getting a cell phone. The opinion that this betting ban will do for illegal bookies or the mob what Prohibition did for illegal alcohol is ludicrous.

Bookies tend to be very careful and paranoid about who they accept as clients, plus they don't want to deal with $5 or $10 players. Getting set up with a bookie is a difficult task, especially if you don't have a "sponsor."

Most of the major players already have "outs" for their college and pro bets other than in Nevada and would just extend their "legal" college plays to these same sources. So we're primarily talking about how the small players will make their college bets.

It is my opinion that if you surveyed 100 sports gamblers at a local book and asked them what they would do if there was a ban on college betting, most would move their money to pro teams, some would just quit betting, some would use Internet betting and a very small percentage would actually look for an illegal bookie.

For the small percentage who would actually follow through and look for an illegal book, only a small percentage would actually "qualify" and hook up with one.

My guess: Less than 5 percent would actually be able to find an illegal bookie to accept their bets. If one in a hundred small players hooked up, I'd be surprised.

Again, I do not support any type of ban on college wagering. That is not my issue. My issue is how some of the media is portraying how it will affect illegal wagering. In my opinion, the passing of this law will result in lost jobs in Nevada and revenue for Nevada, but it will not mean a dramatic rise in illegal wagering in this state.

-- BILL BROWN

Las Vegas

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