Committee OKs legislation despite Bryan's opposition

By Benjamin Grove
<grove@lasvegassun.com>
LAS VEGAS SUN

WASHINGTON -- A bill that would ban betting on college sports in Nevada casinos gained momentum today as Sen. John McCain's Senate Commerce Committee sent the legislation to the full Senate.

Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., could not stop the bill, despite an attempt to slow it down by introducing seven amendments. Two passed -- an amendment that would require colleges to track and report statistics on illegal gambling on campuses and an amendment that bans the NCAA and media outlets such as CBS from sponsoring sweepstakes contests in which people pick games and win prizes.

Bryan, who is a member of the committee, pressed hard for an amendment that would continue to allow betting on college sports in Nevada, but not betting on high school or Olympic games. The committee shot the amendment down.

"It negates the intent of the legislation," McCain said.

The committee also defeated a Bryan amendment that would have required the National Collegiate Athletic Association to spend 10 percent of the money it makes from games on anti-gambling programs. Bryan pointed to the NCAA's lucrative contract with CBS.

Another defeated Bryan amendment would have raised the legal age for gambling of any kind in America to 21. Many state lotteries allow 18-year-olds to purchase tickets.

"I thought we would do better on that one," Bryan said. "The committee had no difficulty invading the sovereignty of a state in making a determination about legal gambling within its own borders, but for some reason was reluctant to institute reasonable measures to deal with illegal gambling on college campuses."

The committee tabled for now an amendment introduced by Sen. John Breaux, D-La., who sought to protect office pools from being illegal under the bill.

"If we don't accept something like this (amendment), we are going to have the federal pool police marching through offices," Breaux said.

This year legislation to ban college gambling in the one state that allows it -- Nevada -- was launched in both the Senate and House, although the House has taken no action on the bill.

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., a member of the Commerce Committee, is one of the bill's primary sponsors. He and other bill supporters say the bill will discourage rampant student betting on campus and curb game-fixing gambling schemes.

"To say this is just picking on Nevada is just not true," Brownback said. "This is a start. It's a good start. It's one we need to take."

Other members of the committee, including Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., had little to say about the gambling bill.

Nevada members of Congress have fought the bill saying that banning legal bets in Nevada won't erase illegal gambling nationwide.

Today there was no discussion of a request floated by the National Football League and the National Basketball Association that the bill also ban betting on professional sports in Nevada sports books. McCain had no desire to add that language to the bill, a spokeswoman said.

Nevada's senators are now bracing for battle on the bill on the Senate floor.

"It's going to be tough," Bryan said. "Only Nevada's ox is gored on this."

Benjamin Grove covers Washington D.C. for the Sun. He can be reached at (202) 628-3100, ext. 269 or by e-mail at benjamingrove@yahoo.com.