State bill to decriminalize office betting pools sails by committee

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Apr 10, 2008 | by Edwin Garcia

SACRAMENTO -- It's too late for March Madness, but by next year's collegiate basketball tournament, sports fans busted for wagering on the games might not be treated like criminals.

At least that's what Republican Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries is betting on.

His measure to decriminalize office pools and other small-time gambling operations popular with March Madness brackets, fantasy football and Super Bowls won its first contest Wednesday by sailing through the Assembly's Government Operations Committee on a nearly unanimous vote.

Assembly Bill 1852 now heads to the Public Safety Committee.

Do sports fans really get thrown into the slammer for dropping a few bucks into a betting pool?

Rarely. But two of Jeffries' constituents in Riverside County -- one was a 73-year-old grandmother -- got booked by authorities in 2006 for running a $50 football pool at the Wildomar Elks Lodge.

According to California law, people convicted of organizing or participating in a betting pool can be charged with a misdemeanor or felony, which could mean time behind bars, plus a $5,000 fine.

"Clearly," Jeffries told the committee, "the punishment does not fit the crime."

The two women pleaded not guilty and saw the charges reduced into a smaller fine.

Jeffries wants to reduce the penalty to an infraction, similar to a parking ticket, punishable by a fine of no more than $500.

Of the 10 committee members who voted for measure, only the chairman, Alberto Torrico, D-Fremont, had something to say about the bill.

He questioned, jokingly, if "we can charge the district attorney with a felony" for prosecuting the Riverside County women in the first place.

Contact Edwin Garcia at egarcia@mercurynews.com or 916-441-4651.