Columnist Benjamin Grove: McCain sure to take up sports betting ban again

Benjamin Grove

Friday, March 29, 2002 | 5:16 a.m.

NEVADA'S LAWMAKERS in Congress, who disagreed about the thorny issue of campaign finance reform, can agree on one thing: The controversial legislation kept Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., busy.

But the Senate passed the bill this month and President Bush signed it, leaving McCain casting around for something to do. Nevada's four members in Congress hope he doesn't turn first to his crusade to ban betting on college sports in Nevada.

There is little reason to believe he will. McCain has carved out a reputation as the Senate's maverick reformer with a wide variety of other interests that could occupy his time: patient rights, boxing regulations, federal airport screening, gun shows, health care and election reform.

"I certainly will be reflective for about 24 hours if McCain-Feingold passes, and then I will embark on other reforms that I think are necessary," McCain said just before the bill passed the Senate this month.

But even with a full plate, McCain has no plans to ever drop his effort to ban wagers on college sports.

McCain plans to patiently wait for a broader piece of legislation to meander through Congress and then attach his legislation to it as an amendment. McCain is just searching for the perfect bill, spokeswoman Pia Pialorsi said.

"Whenever the time is right, he'll bring it up on the floor," Pialorsi said.

Team McCain believes Nevada sports books foster game fixing and provide a framework for widespread illegal betting nationwide.

"There's no doubt that the Las Vegas betting -- there's only one state in America where it's legal -- is an important part of this equation, which tempts young people to corrupt the sport in which they engage," McCain said in a recent interview.

A transcript of the seven-minute interview was sent to media by FX cable network as part of a press package about its movie, "Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie," which airs tonight at 5. The movie tells the story of an Arizona State student who fixed a game and laid off his bet in Las Vegas.

The McCain interview about college sports gaming and the lobbying power of the casino industry will not air with the movie, but was included in press materials in an effort to drum up more publicity for it.

The show airs one day before college basketball's March Madness tournament concludes in Atlanta -- as Nevada sports books are counting the cash from the most lucrative tournament of the year.

Gambling industry officials and Nevada lawmakers adamantly oppose the betting ban bill, and are joined in a lobbying war with the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Legal betting in Nevada does not lead to game-fixing or widespread illegal gambling by college students, they say. They advocate stiffer penalties for bookies, and more college and university involvement.

"Today the NCAA pays lip service to campus gambling by sending out posters, posting warnings on their website and airing a few commercials during the Final Four, and blaming the state of Nevada for failing to get a handle on their problem," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said in testimony before a House panel last month.

Behind the scenes, gambling lobbyists say the betting ban bill has lost much of its steam. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., nearly derailed the bill in the Commerce Committee last year, which he said proves the bill may not be the slam dunk McCain thinks it is.

But no one doubts McCain's tenacious determination. The campaign finance debate began in the mid-1980s, dragged on after a veto by President Bush's father, and wobbled forward like a woozy boxer after numerous congressional beatings. But it never fell, thanks much to McCain.

The battle over sports betting in Nevada will be tough, McCain said in the FX interview. "But we intend to bring it up again, and at least force a vote on it," McCain said.

McCain doesn't get distracted easily, although his attention likely will be focused on the NCAA final in Atlanta Monday night.

The tenacious lawmaker and avid sports fan loves a fiercely competitive game.