State senator proposes bets on federal elections

CARSON CITY — Putting $100 on Hillary Clinton at 4-3 odds to win the presidency in 2016 and $25 on Marco Rubio at 2-1 odds to take the Republican nomination could pay off.

Sound far-fetched? It’s not. The Senate Finance Committee on Monday introduced Senate Bill 418, which would allow betting on federal elections in Nevada casinos.

Chairman Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, said Nevada is missing out on millions of dollars by not allowing betting on presidential and federal elections. He also said he sees nothing wrong about adding the Academy Awards to the list of events for betting.

The Nevada Gaming Commission regulations prohibit betting on any election, but a January 2011 amendment allows betting on non-sporting events, if approved by the commission and the Legislature.

“We bet on everything else,” said Sen. Ruben Kihuen, D-Las Vegas. “If it is going to bring money to the state, it should be considered. We need money for education.”

The bill was one of 163 introduced Monday in the Legislature as members worked into the evening to beat a deadline for introducing bills sought by committees.

These bills and 231 introduced March 18 by individual legislators must be passed out of committees by April 12, or they are dead for the remainder of the legislative session. Expect hundreds to die without hearings.

Other prominent bills introduced Monday include the following:

■ SB414 would prohibit minors from using a cellphone to send violent images of another minor to promote harm. Upon conviction, the minor who sent the messages would be placed under the control of the juvenile courts. The Senate Judiciary Committee bill might apply in cases similar to the Steubenville, Ohio, case in which two high school football players were convicted of raping a girl and emailing photos of her to other students.

■ SB421 would prohibit a broadcast company from requiring in contracts that newscasters or other on-air talents who are fired or leave the station not take a job immediately with another broadcast station in the same geographic area.

■ SB487, sought by Gov. Brian Sandoval, would appropriate an additional $5 million to cover the costs of the Gov. Kenny Guinn Millennium Scholarship program. The extension would allow the program to continue at full funding — $10,000 scholarship per student — through 2017.

■ SB 506 would repeal a law allowing employers to refuse to hire people who are registered members of the Communist Party. The 1950s law has been found unconstitutional.