NCAA betting ban is dealt a setback

Benjamin Grove

Thursday, May 10, 2001 | 11:02 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- A bill that outlaws betting on college sports in Nevada took another hit Wednesday, a cheerful Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said.

At a regular closed-door meeting of Republican senators, most said they did not support a possible effort by colleagues Sens. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and John McCain, R-Ariz., to attach the bill as an amendment to a broader-themed education bill now pending.

That's important because most observers agree the legislation stands a better chance of passing as an amendment to a larger bill, rather than as free-standing legislation, Ensign said. Senators have a more difficult time passing stand-alone bills in the evenly split Senate this year, he said.

"They could still do it, but it would be a lot harder now (in the 50-50 Senate)," Ensign said.

About 40 Republican senators attended the GOP meeting, including Brownback, Ensign said.

Ensign said he told the group he would vote against the education bill if the betting ban were attached. A majority agreed they don't want to clutter the education bill with more amendments, Ensign said.

"Although we haven't won the war, this was a significant victory today," Ensign said. "Compared to where we were two months ago, this is unbelievable. We're very pleased."

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., agreed, "I think we're in pretty good shape."

Reid, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, acknowledged that the bill still has majority support among lawmakers. But this latest development makes it harder for the bill to get to the Senate floor for a vote, he said.

Reid said he had been a "little anxious" about the bill's potential as an education bill amendment.

The bill, introduced last year, is backed by National Collegiate Athletic Association officials, who want to curb gambling by college students. They say that allowing one state, Nevada, to offer legal betting on games fosters a culture in which illegal gambling thrives nationwide.

Nevada lawmakers and gaming officials strongly disagree. They say the bill does nothing to curb illegal gambling and unfairly targets the one state where gambling is regulated.

NCAA officials and gambling executives have waged aggressive, opposing lobbying campaigns on Capitol Hill.

NCAA lobbyist Doris Dixon said that if the education bill was not a viable vehicle for the betting ban, lawmakers will simply find another.

"(The bill) is in good hands with Sens. Brownback and McCain and (John) Edwards (D-N.C.) and (James) Jeffords (R-Vt.) and others," Dixon said. "They will develop a strategy as they see fit."

McCain is undeterred, a spokeswoman said.

"Sen. McCain will never give up on this issue because he believes that college coaches and presidents will prevail against special-interest gambling money," Pia Pialorsi said. "He fully intends to offer this bill as an amendment when it has the most likely chance of passage." She could not specify when.

American Gaming Association lobbyist Wally Chalmers agreed that if McCain does not tack his bill onto the education legislation a number of other bills are viable.

"I don't think (the bill) goes away," Chalmers said. Still, he said the bill's supporters are "betting that they still have the support we've seen eroded."