NCAA Pushing for Anti-Gambling Laws

Federal legislation that would make sports wagering on intercollegiate athletics illegal will be proposed Jan. 26 in Washington, D.C., NCAA officials said Sunday.

NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey asked for the backing of the membership for this legislation in his state of the association address to the organization here at its convention.

“This will be an uphill battle,” he said. “The opposition is well-financed and determined. But this is the right position for us to take. As a nation, we simply cannot sanction betting on college students.”

Sports wagering is illegal in every state except Nevada, although there is a lottery involving sports in Oregon.

Bill Saum, the NCAA’s director of agent and gambling activities, noted the fight would be “an immense challenge,” considering the factor of large political contributions from the casino industry. He suggested that the NCAA would use another form of pressure--having its student-athletes contact politicians from their home states.

Also, the NCAA will be sending a new 22-page booklet on the dangers of sports wagering--”Don’t Bet On It”--to athletic directors for distribution to student-athletes. The booklet was the product of a partnership between the NCAA and the National Endowment for Financial Education.

In his address, Dempsey also asked for an increase in the student-athlete special assistance fund and academic enhancement fund, saying: “I’ll recommend that the special assistance fund be increased from the $10 million annually to $25 million in the first year of the new [CBS] agreement with inflationary increases of at least 8% over the life of the contract.”

The NCAA negotiated a television and marketing rights agreement with CBS for a minimum of $6 billion over 11 years, starting in 2003. The special-assistance fund provides money for clothing, emergency travel, educational expenses and other needs.

Additionally, Dempsey called for increased improvement in diversity hiring at member institutions--at the level of head coach and athletics management.