For the second-straight year a bill that would put an end to betting on college sporting events has made it out of a Senate Committee.
The bill was passed Thursday despite some political antics in the Commerce Committee. It was nearly killed by a vote of the committee, but was passed thanks to the persistence of the committee's chairman, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the sponsor of the bill.
How much chance does the bill have before the full Senate considering it narrowly got out of committee?
That all depends on who you talk to. McCain said in a statement that he is determined to get full Senate support of the bill.
"I am pleased this committee has again agreed to ban betting on amateur athletic events altogether. I am confident this bill will receive broad support if it is taken up before the full Senate," he said. "Betting on amateur athletics invites public speculation as to their legitimacy and transforms student athletes into objects to be bet upon."
But McCain may have a bigger battle on his hands than he thinks. Nevada senators John Ensign and Harry Reid worked together in getting support from both sides of the aisle. "This sends a powerful message to Sen. John McCain that momentum is on our side, and we intend to fight this all the way through to the Senate floor, " Ensign said in a statement. "Sen. Reid worked the Democrats and I worked the Republicans and together we convinced our colleagues that our side is right."
Those who oppose the bill feel a betting ban on college sports will eliminate the strong safeguards Nevada has to cut down on point shaving and other shady betting activities.
Danny Sheridan, a leading sports analyst and oddsmaker, told the committee during hearings last month that the bill would create more problems than it would fix.
"If this bill passes, you will make fixing college football and baseball games very easy," he said. "There will be no fear of being caught."
Sheridan wasn’t alone.
Howard J. Shaffer, director of the Harvard Medical School’s Division on Addictions, said a ban on college betting could "stimulate an underground market for sports-related gambling."
Reid was pleased to see members from both sides of the aisle stand up in opposition of the McCain bill and feels that, as the legislation moves trough the entire Senate, more support will come their way.
"Today was a surprising victory for Nevada," he said. "We received enormous support from a bipartisan group of Senators during today’s vote. The more our colleagues learn about this legislation, the more likely they are to side with Sen. Ensign and me to protect Nevada’s
right to regulate the gaming industry in our state. Senators from outside our state now understand that not only is there no link between legal and illegal gambling, but that Nevada’s highly monitored legal sports books are not the problem."
Ensign told the Associated Press yesterday that today was a perfect example of the increased support for keeping McCain’s bill from passing.
"The fact is, the momentum is clearly on our side," he said. "Two months ago we were dead in the water. We had no chance."
With Nevada representing a small amount of the action brought in on college betting, there has been some debate regarding the publication of point spreads in newspapers.
Sheridan is on record as saying he has already been contacted by several newspaper chains wanting his services even if the bill is passed.
The Newspaper Association of America (NAA) feels the practice will continue regardless of the bill.
"Point spreads appear to be useful, if not valuable, to newspaper readers who have no intention of betting on games," the NAA said.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said in an interview that her initial reaction was to support the proposed ban.
But, after studying the issue at the request of Sen. Reid, she concluded that the bill unfairly targets one state and could do more harm than good by driving legal gambling underground.
Though the bill applies to all amateur sports, Nevada casinos take relatively few bets on the Olympics and none on high school games.
The proposed ban on college sports betting cleared committees in both houses of Congress last year, but GOP leaders did not schedule a floor vote in either chamber. McCain has indicated he may try to offer the ban as an amendment during next week's debate on education bills.
"I intend to get it to the floor one way or another," McCain said.