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Newspapers at NCAA Colleges would Take Ads from Internet Sports Books, AGA Says

WASHINGTON, D.C. –- Newspapers at all 65 universities taking part in the NCAA basketball tournament would accept advertising for Internet gambling sites, a recent poll by the gaming industry's leading lobby group says.

That proves the National Collegiate Athletic Association does not take gambling by college students seriously -- and universities actually profit from illegal gambling, the American Gaming Association says.

"When college students can gamble right in their own dorm rooms through hundreds of off-shore Internet gambling sites, it's no wonder that illegal sports gambling is so widespread on college campuses," Frank Fahrenkopf, AGA president, said.

The poll is the latest public relations strike by the gaming industry against a bill in Congress that would ban wagers made legally in Nevada on college sports.

Bill advocates, including Reps. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Tim Roemer, D-Ind., and Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sam Brownback, R-Kan., say the bill will help curb illegal betting on college campuses.

It would also make it more difficult for a campus bookie with Las Vegas ties to conspire with athletes to fix games.

Gaming industry officials and Nevada lawmakers strongly disagree. Legal gambling in Nevada is only a tiny fraction of all betting in America -- most gambling is conducted illegally in the other 49 states, they say.

The betting ban bill does not address the problem of rampant gambling on college campuses, they say.

Gaming officials argue that the NCAA is not spending enough time or effort to address the issue of gambling on its own campuses.

Instead, they are unfairly attacking Nevada, they say. The poll is proof, Fahrenkopf said.

Officials with the NCAA counter that the bill is a step in the right direction, even though it will not completely halt illegal betting in America. But it is difficult to persuade students not to gamble when gambling on sports is still offered legally in one state, officials say.

The informal AGA-paid phone survey was conducted this month by National Media, an Alexandria, Va.,-based firm.

The company polled all 65 college newspaper advertising departments at colleges that had teams in the NCAA national Div. I basketball tournament, which concludes Monday. All said they would run advertisements promoting Internet gambling sites, and quoted prices.

Internet gambling is widespread in America, although many lawmakers argue it is technically illegal because it constitutes gambling over telephone wires, which is illegal.

Some lawmakers in Congress are attempting to pass legislation that clarifies the law so that there is no question Internet gambling is illegal in America.

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