The NCAA News - News and Features

February 16, 1998

Saum testifies before Congress on Internet gambling issues

NCAA officials recently discussed gambling issues in two important forums in Washington, D.C.

On February 2, William S. Saum, NCAA gambling and agent representative, testified before Congress on legislation pertaining to Internet gambling. The next day, Saum and Executive Director Cedric W. Dempsey met with the Washington Higher Education Secretariat to discuss sports gambling and higher education.

Saum's testimony was before the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime. His remarks related to H.R. 2380, which is pending legislation to prohibit gambling on the Internet. A somewhat different companion bill, S. 474, is under consideration in the Senate.

"This legislation (H.R. 2380) would make it more difficult for Internet gambling operations, as well as the individuals who gamble on them, to evade enforcement," Saum told the subcommittee. "Perhaps more importantly, it would provide civil remedies that allow law enforcement officials to require Internet service providers to block access or discontinue service to gambling sites. Without this mechanism, law enforcement is left only

with the difficult task of seeking criminal prosecution against gambling site operators, most of whom are located outside the United States."

Others testifying included Douglas Donn of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Frank Fahrenkopf Jr. of the American Gaming Association, Bernie Horn of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling/National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion, Frank Miller of the National American Gambling Regulators Association and Sue Schneider of the Interactive Gaming Council and Rolling Good Times OnLine.

Subcommittee chair Bill McCollum, R-Florida, noted that Internet gambling circumvents state laws, increases opportunities for fraud that cannot be effectively prosecuted, lacks safeguards to assure the age of the gambler and contributes to compulsive gambling because of its accessibility. McCollum, however, also noted that Congress should take care with any legislation in this area since appropriate uses of the Internet could be affected.

The NCAA supports H.R. 2380 and has offered to work with the House subcommittee to refine the legislation.

H.R. 2380 is sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia. He told the subcommittee that the decision about whether to permit gambling should be left to the states. Otherwise, federal law should prohibit it.

The House subcommittee is not expected to mark up the bill until March. S. 474 may go to the Senate floor this month.

Saum said the presentation to the Washington Higher Education Secretariat was "very worthwhile." He stressed to that group that entire campuses need to be engaged about gambling, not just student-athletes.

Saum told the group that campuses now are at a point with gambling similar to where they were with alcohol abuse, drug abuse and date rape in the early '80s. The positive message out of that, he said, is that campuses have addressed those problems and put many effective programs in place.