Sunday, April 08, 2007

Local officials made no offer to restrict betting on NBA teams in a pitch
for a franchise sent to commissioner David Stern on Thursday. The proposal,
requested by Stern in February, emphasizes Nevada's gambling regulatory
record and argues the system "should provide sufficient cause for the
association to permit a franchise to exist comfortably in Las Vegas without
concern of corruption or interference by unsavory individuals." Stern has
said he was opposed to expansion into Las Vegas as long as gambling on NBA
teams was allowed. But during NBA All-Star week in Las Vegas, the
commissioner invited a proposal from local officials that would address his
concerns, a move many took as a sign that his opposition was softening. The
league also asked city officials to address the need for a new arena after
pronouncing the Thomas & Mack Center below professional standards. Stern
promised to bring the proposal to the association's Board of Governors
meeting later this month. Many believed local officials, led by Las Vegas
mayor Oscar Goodman, would answer with a proposed ban on betting on a Las
Vegas team -- a revival of a rule previously applied to the state's college
teams at UNLV and Nevada. The rule was abolished in 2001 by regulators who
viewed it as a hypocrisy that implied gambling was wrong. Casino
companies -- whose sports books accepted $635.4 million in college and
professional basketball bets last year and who have been closely involved in
drafting the NBA proposal -- also have publicly opposed the rule. Goodman
defended that position Thursday. "I believe it would be hypocritical for us
to even suggest it," Goodman said at a news conference. "We have to be true
enough to ourselves." But the mayor would not rule out that his position
might change as negotiations continue, joking "I could be a hypocrite for
the right reasons." He suggested it was the gambling industry's opposition
that led him to hold the line on sports betting, at least for now.