WASHINGTON -- Not only has Sen. John McCain apparently given up his crusade to outlaw betting on games during March Madness, he is inviting visitors to his presidential campaign Web site to join him in picking winners in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament.
Three years ago, McCain attempted to prohibit Nevada sports books from accepting wagers on any college games, football or basketball.
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But log on to www. johnmccain.com/Brackets and you will see a basketball and the label, McCain Basketball Bracket.
"Compare your picks to John McCain," the site says.
McCain's picks reflect his conservatism: He predicts all the No. 1 seeds to make the Final Four, with North Carolina defeating Kansas in the championship game.
McCain also predicts Georgia Tech will upset UNLV on Friday in Chicago.
Winners in McCain's contest are eligible to receive a "McCain Fleece" jacket, a "McCain hat" or a "McCain pin."
The Web site solicits contributions to McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.
Danny Diaz, a spokesman for McCain's presidential campaign, said the senator remains opposed to legalized wagering on amateur sports.
"This is not betting or gambling in any way, shape or form," Diaz said of the Web site. "John McCain is an avid sports fan, and this contest serves as a way to share that with supporters."
McCain seized the college sports betting ban as an issue to attract conservative support when he first ran for president in 2000.
But the Nevada congressional delegation and the American Gaming Association, the chief lobbying group for casinos, succeeded in blocking the betting ban for several years.
In 2005, McCain acknowledged Congress would not pass the ban until another gambling scandal occurred on a college campus. "But there will be another scandal," he said.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he was unsurprised McCain is inviting others to join him in picking the results of college basketball games.
"He was the one that talked about the negativity of flying around in corporate jets," Reid said. "Then he voted against the bill (to ban corporate jet travel by members of Congress)."
Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association, declined to comment on McCain's Web site.
