NCAA teams to play at Casino sites

[Jeff]

NCAA Teams to Play at Casino Sites
By DIANE SCARPONI, Associated Press Writer

MONTVILLE, Conn. (AP) - Some casinos want to play host to college basketball games, and the NCAA (news - web sites) isn't thrilled.

A test case may come at Mohegan Sun, a casino in the southeastern Connecticut woods run by the Mohegan Indian tribe. The casino has a 10,000-seat arena scheduled to open this fall.

Central Connecticut State University has agreed to play UMass there in December, Central athletic director C.J. Jones said Thursday. The casino also is trying to line up a men's and women's doubleheader.

Betting on college sports is illegal in Connecticut, even at casinos operating on sovereign territory.

Still, the NCAA prefers that college basketball teams not play where there is gambling.

``Part of our concern is the mixed messages student athletes receive by traveling to his type of facility to participate in a game, given the message we're trying to send - that we believe it's wrong for sports gambling to occur on college student athletics,'' said Jane Jankowski, the NCAA's assistant director for public relations.

Players at schools including Arizona State, Northwestern, Boston College and Fresno State have been caught up in gambling scandals over the past 10 years.

``The NCAA is hypocritical,'' said Paul Munick, vice president of sports and entertainment at Mohegan Sun. ``There is gambling in every state. If there were no casinos, period, there would still be gambling on games.''

The NCAA is casting a more critical eye on plans to hold college basketball games at Mandalay Bay casino in Las Vegas, because Nevada is the only state where gambling on college sports is legal. A game between Fresno State and Gonzaga is scheduled for that casino on Dec. 8.

The NCAA has no control over where individual schools play regular-season games

[Jeff]

I got a kick out of this article.......

In this state, you're going to have to blindfold all the players if you're going to shelid them from gambling. It's all over the place!

[yanksfan]

blindfold basketball. now that i would watch!

[Rich]

I was in Europe for the summer last year and one thing i reads was theirs alot less drunk drivinig accidents by teenages than in the USA although even more teens drink regurlary the reason being is thathids are brought up around alcholol learn to drink responsable
and know how handle liquor (and not to drive)
In czeck republicf you regurly would see
kids 14-17 at the pubs instead of in america
where we would just sneak aound to get alchohol and get caught up in stupid/ dangerous situations.... the reason i bring '
this up is because it's the same way with
gambling over here too virtually every adult
amd most teens gamble some way or another but
just like alcholol you have politicians and
psuedo-politicians like the leaders of the
NCAA bemoaning gamblings evils.and trying
in vain to "sheild it away from our children". The truth is the only problem
these colleges should care about is fixing
games not a casino or any other nonsense, they just make themselves look like idiots

[Groz]

Sometimes you just have to shake your head in amazement. On one hand you have Dean Smith testifying against college gambling and the posting of point spreads in newspapers, and then you have three of the biggest coaches in college basketball conducting a clinic for all basketball coaches at the Mohegan Sun this Friday.

Coach K, Rick Majerus and Jim Calhoun are being paid by Mohegan Sun to have a 2 day clinic this weekend with a dinner. I would guess they are being paid BIG money for this.

Do you think that they would be able to be paid as much in, let's say Kansas. More power to them. They deserve it. They are at the top of their profession.

Of course people would say that one thing has nothing to do with the other.

Best of Luck,
Groz

[Rich]

groz-mike and the dog listener i presume
what part of NJ you from?..... I'd love to go to that clinic but im not a coach