By CHELSI MOY of the Missoulian
The University of Montana is concerned, but not yet panicked, about the possibility that Montana colleges and universities may no longer be allowed to host NCAA playoff games because the state allows some sports gambling.
“We're not going to yell the sky is falling until it hits us on the head,” said David Aronofsky, UM's chief legal counsel.
The NCAA said last week that it erred in allowing UM to host playoff games in 2008 because of a Montana law that violates the organization's stance on gambling on live sporting events. Montana allows sports pools and fantasy sports leagues, but prohibits betting on the outcome of live games.
The NCAA policy states that a university or college cannot host any round of an NCAA championship where sports wagering is legally offered, said Stacey Osburn, an NCAA spokeswoman.
“Based on the information we have, it appears it applies to Montana,” Osburn said Monday.
The NCAA will discuss the issue at a meeting of its Ethics and Sportsmanship Committee within the next couple of weeks, Osburn said.
Meanwhile, UM officials are trying to determine whether that applies to Montana.
UM administrators have been in contact with Attorney General Steve Bullock's office, which oversees gaming in the state, and with the Montana Lottery, to make certain they fully understand the state gaming laws, Aronofsky said.
State officials and university administrators have requested copies of the NCAA rule regarding playoff games in states with legalized sports betting, but no copies have yet been produced.
“I understand I'm in an increasingly long line of people who have asked for it,” Aronofsky said.
However, the policy is readily available, Osburn said.
“It's been out there in the public,” she said. “It's not only in writing, but it's something that's been reported on quite extensively.”
The issue arose when the NCAA threatened to ban future playoff games in Delaware if the state passed a bill legalizing sport-betting, citing the organization's rules. Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed a bill into law earlier this month that allows betting on the outcome of sporting events, and the state's Supreme Court ruled it constitutional last Thursday.
It was an administrative oversight by the NCAA to allow UM to host playoff games last year, Osburn said Monday.
“We made a mistake and we put processes in place to make sure that doesn't happen again,” she said.
The UM Grizzly football team has hosted playoff games in Missoula for the past decade - events that are huge economic generators for both the NCAA and for the communities that host them.
If the NCAA were to ban playoff games in Montana, it would affect more than just UM football. It would apply to all three schools regulated by the NCAA in the state - UM, Montana State University and MSU-Billings.
Changes to the gaming law would require a vote of the state Legislature.
“We take it very seriously,” said UM Executive Vice President Jim Foley. “We're uncertain what the NCAA concerns are. Montana does not allow betting on the outcome of intercollegiate athletics.”
Montana is one of four states in the country that allow sports gambling. Montana, Oregon, Delaware and Nevada were grandfathered as exceptions to a 1992 federal law banning sports gambling in the country.
Oregon recently suspended its sports lottery, Osburn said, and subsequently was allowed to host NCAA postseason games this year. The NCAA policy applies to both Delaware and Nevada.