By Tony Batt
lasvegas.com Gaming Wire
WASHINGTON--His hands full with campaign finance reform, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Tuesday he’s not likely to reintroduce legislation to ban betting on college games at Nevada casinos until after the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
McCain said he hoped to introduced the bill sooner rather than later, butpaused when asked if he planned to act before the April 2 championship game.
"I don't think so," he said. "We need to get campaign finance reform done first."
Campaign finance reform, a central plank in McCain's presidential platform last year, is scheduled for debate this month on the Senate floor.
Casino industry officials had expected the NCAA bill to be introduced as early as January and certainly no later than March. For weeks, they have been bracing for a media blitz to promote the bill during March Madness.
The delay will give Nevada lobbyists more time to pitch alternative legislation calling for a national study of illegal gambling and the formation of a gambling task force at the Justice Department.
But Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association, said he is not going to read too much into the delay.
"We will face it when we face it," he said. "Sooner or later, the two bills will clash in committee."
McCain’s busy schedule has fueled speculation that he might defer to Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, in leading the effort to pass the NCAA bill in the Senate. A phone call to Brownback’s office on Tuesday was not returned.
In the House, Reps. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Tim Roemer, D-Ind., are waiting on McCain before they offer a similar version of the NCAA bill, sources said.
Despite the delay in the bill’s introduction, the casino industry apparently will not get through the week unscathed on the college sports betting issue.
Public Citizen, a congressional watchdog group, plans to release a report Thursday citing financial contributions from the casino industry as the reason why the NCAA bill stalled last year.
The bill made it through House and Senate committees, but never came up for a final vote on the floor of either chamber.
Meanwhile, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, confirmed Tuesday that he will support a Nevada alternative and will oppose the NCAA bill.
"I am because we had a major confrontation years ago, and it was part of a grand compromise that Nevada would be allowed this privilege," Hatch said.
Hatch was referring to the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which prohibited betting or sports lotteries in all but four states--Nevada, Delaware, Montana and Oregon.
"We put through some very important things for the NCAA and others at that time, and now they want a new deal. I just don’t think it’s right," he said.
Hatch is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which originally had jurisdiction over last year's version of the NCAA bill. But McCain, who is chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, wrested control of the legislation and moved it through his committee.
Hatch said he was not opposing the NCAA bill this year because he had been offended by McCain’s actions.
"Oh no, that doesn’t bother me. That stuff doesn’t bother me," he said. "I mean, sometimes I think it’s not right to do that."
If the NCAA bill passes the Commerce Committee and the Nevada bill passes the Judiciary Committee, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. will have to decide which of the two is sent to the Senate floor for a final vote.
"That will be up to (Lott), but either way, it’ll be a fight on the floor," Hatch said.