[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 68 (Thursday, May 8, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S5941]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           GAMING LAW POLICY

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, last month I had the wonderful opportunity 
to speak to students in a gaming law policy class at the William S. 
Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. As I am sure 
you are aware, yesterday the Senator from Arizona reintroduced 
legislation that would make it illegal to wager on college sports in 
Nevada, where it is legal and heavily regulated. The legislation will 
not solve the problems the sponsors of the legislation seek to solve. 
Recently, I received a letter from several students in the class who 
have done a great deal of research on the subject. I share the views 
they have, and I ask unanimous consent to print their letter in today's 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:
                                    William S. Boyd School of Law,


                             University of Nevada at Las Vegas

                                    Las Vegas, NV, April 24, 2003.
     Hon. Harry Reid,
     U.S. Senate, Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Reid: We write to you as members of the Gaming 
     Law Policy Class at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the 
     University of Nevada at Las Vegas. Our class includes 
     students from states that have no legal gaming, such as 
     Hawaii. One of the topics that our class has researched this 
     semester, under the direction of Adjunct Professors Tony 
     Cabot and Bob Faiss, is congressional legislation that would 
     outlaw collegiate sports wagering in Nevada casinos. After 
     researching this matter in detail, we have come to the 
     conclusion that such legislation would not effectively 
     address the problem that its proponents are trying to 
     correct.
       We recognize this is the conclusion that you and the other 
     members of Nevada's congressional delegation have also 
     reached in your consideration of this subject. We have 
     reviewed the legislation that you co-sponsored with Senator 
     John Ensign during the last Congress and agree that this 
     approach would do much more to eradicate the problems created 
     by illegal sports wagering on college campuses.
       Based on our in-depth analysis of this subject, we felt 
     compelled to send this formal expression of support for your 
     efforts. Our letter is not to be considered an official 
     expression of the law school. We have prepared it as 
     individuals sharing a common view.
       Our examination of this subject has led us to the following 
     conclusions:
       1. Banning collegiate sports wagering in Nevada would do 
     nothing to eradicate or reduce illegal collegiate sports 
     wagering. Banning gambling in Nevada is unlikely to end any 
     illegal gambling on college athletics. The amount of wagering 
     that takes place on collegiate sport wagering in Nevada is a 
     minuscule fraction of the overall amount of wagering that 
     takes place nationally. The money wagered in Nevada on 
     college athletics would flow to the domestic black market or 
     to offshore Internet gaming companies.
       2. Nevada casinos actually assist law enforcement in 
     exposing illegal gambling schemes. Nevada sports books have a 
     proven record of uncovering suspicious gambling activity. 
     Absent the scrutiny of Nevada sports books, law enforcement 
     would have no real-time monitor on unusual wagering trends.
       3. Nevada collegiate sports wagering is not the problem. 
     The money that is legally wagered in Nevada on college 
     athletics is only two percent of the estimated total amount 
     waged on college athletics across the country. The proponents 
     of legislation to outlaw collegiate sports wagering in Nevada 
     have presented no credible evidence that legal wagering in 
     Nevada is the cause of the problems such legislation is 
     attempting to correct.
       4. The idea that Nevada encourages illegal wagering 
     throughout the rest of the country is without any factual 
     support. As stated, such wagering in Nevada comprises a very 
     small percentage of the total amount of wagering that occurs. 
     Newspapers, including USA Today, are on record as stating 
     that they will publish betting odds and point-spreads 
     regardless of whether wagering on college athletics is legal. 
     Offshore Internet sites would also continue to publish 
     betting odds and point-spreads.
       5. Nevada sports book operators are highly regulated and 
     subject to intense scrutiny. Nevada sports book operators 
     have never been involved in a point-shaving scandal.
       In conclusion, our research shows that banning regulated 
     wagering on college athletics in Nevada will not address the 
     problem of the influence of illegal wagering on student-
     athletes and will, in fact, remove a tool that law 
     enforcement has to expose illegal betting schemes.
       We therefore hope that others members of the Congress will 
     support the common-sense approach taken by you and the other 
     members of the Nevada delegation to address the problem of 
     illegal wagering on college athletics.
           Respectfull,
         Jeremy Aguero, Kevin Bumstead, Anthony Celeste, Zachary 
           Fritz, Edward Magaw, Nathan Miller, Shannon Okada, 
           Jennifer Stallard, Douglas Walker, Members of the 2003 
           Gaming Law Policy Class.
         Anthony Celeste, Nathan Miller, Student Project Chairmen.

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