AGA Responds To Adelson's Anti-Web Poker EffortsBillionaire Wants To Stop Spread Of Online Gambling |
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Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson will soon be launching an organization to combat the spread of legalized web gambling in the United States. Not long after the news broke, the American Gaming Association, the commercial casino industry’s top lobbying group, came out with a response.
Ironically, Las Vegas Sands is a member of the AGA, which is behind the idea of legalization of online gambling both at federal and state levels. The AGA works on Capitol Hill and thus is primarily concerned with the chances of a federal bill, also because nearly everyone agrees that a state-by-state patchwork is not ideal. Nationwide authorization in one fell swoop means a lot more money for casinos.
However, Adelson doesn’t want online gambling in the U.S. in essentially any capacity.
The AGA said in a statement:
“Time and again, government efforts to prohibit use of everyday products have failed. In 2012, Americans spent nearly $3 billion gambling with rogue offshore operators. The Internet cannot be forced back into the bottle — nor can market demand. We support pragmatism and strong regulation of online gaming that protects consumers, prevents underage play, ensures the integrity of the games and empowers law enforcement. New government efforts to prohibit online gaming will unintentionally strengthen black market providers, create more risk for American consumers, including children, and drive U.S. jobs and potential revenues overseas. We appreciate divergent viewpoints and welcome a healthy discussion on this complex issue.”
It is worth noting that Las Vegas Sands already offers mobile sports betting in Nevada, which is more or less similar to the mainstream definition of online gambling. Many also say Adelson’s moral position is inconsistent since he is a casino owner after all.
The billionaire has kept reiterating that he is worried about minors being able to play online, a fear that even the strongest advocates of web gambling admit is legitimate. Just like brick-and-mortar properties that get duped by fake IDs, online casinos don’t have perfect records at preventing those who shouldn’t be playing from playing. However, that’s the inherent risk of any industry that has restrictions on who can participate. Many obviously argue that the risks are low enough to permit the industry’s existence. Some tout the enhanced safeguards on the web.
The debate within the gaming industry, thanks to Adelson’s intensified efforts to slow the legalization of online gambling, is far over. It seems impossible to think that Adelson’s efforts could turn back the clock on online gambling developments that have happened since Black Friday in April 2011, but he apparently will try to do just that.
So far, Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey have legalized betting on the web.
Some in other states like California have tried in the past, but efforts have always failed. It seems reasonable to think that Adelson’s lobbying against web gambling in the Golden State could delay authorization there indefinitely, not that the state was going to legalize online poker anytime soon in the first place. The tribes can’t come to a consensus.
Clearly, Adelson’s commitment to spending on the anti-web poker front raises tons of questions about the future of the fledgling industry in the U.S.
Adelson is prepared to campaign against the idea of legalizing web gambling on a federal level too, but he probably doesn’t need to. Nearly everyone sees a federal I-gambling bill, whether it authorizes just poker or other games as well, as drawing near dead.
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