Las Vegas Sun's Brian Greenspun Criticizes Sheldon Adelson's Anti-Web Poker Position

Brian Greenspun, president and editor of the Las Vegas Sun, published an editorial on Sunday that included a reaction to Las Vegas Sands’ CEO Sheldon Adelson recently vocalizing his opposition to regulated and licensed online poker.

Brian is the son of Hank Greenspun, founder of Clark County’s primary news source. The Greenspun Media Group is owned by the Greenspun Corporation, which has a joint venture with Station Casinos and is a minority partner in the Palms Casino Resort.

Station Casinos has already made a move to enter a potential Nevada intrastate online poker business.

According to the Greenspun Corporation’s website, it has also “made a number of passive investments in various gaming operations in Nevada.”

Here’s an excerpt from Brian Greenspun’s recent editorial:

“The Internet poker industry is here to stay so either the federal government figures out how to regulate it and tax it or the 50 state governments will do it for them. Right now plenty of states are waiting to make it legal. State lotteries are figuring out how they can reap the benefits of Internet gaming — not just poker. And there are any number of jurisdictions there will get it wrong.

I wish Sheldon [Adelson] could understand why it is better for the federal government to regulate the industry and why it is better for the state of Nevada, and perhaps just a few others, to take the lead on licensing and regulation. There are thousands of jobs to be created in Nevada and millions of dollars to be made by the gaming companies, which employ Nevadans.

I wish Sheldon could understand that there are hundreds of thousands of Nevadans who make their livings in this state, who don’t have Asia to promise them vast riches and who must find the ways and means to thrive right here at home. And I wish he understood that the technology available on the Internet is very good and uses active measures to prevent underage gambling. Although it’s not perfect, neither are the methods used by brick-and-mortar businesses. I know if he understood all of that, his wish for a healthy Nevada would be the same as mine."

Follow Brian Pempus on Twitter — @brianpempus

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