WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., on Thursday introduced legislation directing the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate illegal collegiate sports wagering on college campuses.
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., has introduced similar legislation in the Senate.
"The problem in combating this illegal gambling today is a lack of concrete statistics on which to base our counterattack to rid America of this plague," said Gibbons. "This study is designed to help determine where, and to what extent, the real problems of illegal collegiate sports wagering are in America."
Gibbons' bill calls for the office of the U.S. Attorney General to establish a panel to study the extent of illegal betting on college athletics and the current enforcement of existing laws.
The panel, to be composed of federal, state and local government law enforcement officials, will investigate the amount of illegal betting on college sporting events.
In addition, the panel will probe the effectiveness of steps taken by institutions of higher education in addressing the problem of illegal wagering on college and university campuses.
