Sam Brownback: “I draw quick attention of the body to the amendment I hope to bring up sometime during the session--or on a freestanding…”

“I draw quick attention of the body to the amendment I hope to bring up sometime during the session--or on a freestanding bill--banning gambling on college athletics. There is currently only one State in the Union where you can bet on college sports. That is in Nevada. It is called the ``Vegas Exception.'' That has led to a lot of problems of gambling on college athletics and on college campuses. Also, one of the aspects I want to point out briefly--and why I want to bring this up yet this session of Congress because of the impact it is having on our young people--is the expansion into gambling and getting addicted. We are finding that one of the leading gateways for young people to get into gambling is through sports gambling--betting on sporting events. That is one of the top two ways of getting young people involved. They are among the most susceptible to becoming addicted to gambling. There is a study by the Harvard Medical School on addiction. It reported that college students are three times as likely to develop a severe gambling problem as compared with other adults. It shows that the leading gateway for college students becoming addicted is through sports betting. There is only one place in the country where it is legal. That is in Nevada. It is the ``Vegas Exception.'' That provides this atmosphere where it is legal or thought to be legal in many places, and we are seeing this problem grow. The NCAA is strongly supportive of this amendment.”