Adelson Launches Anti-Online Poker and Terrorism Campaign

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Thursday, February 13th, 2014 | Written by Lucy Brown

So what’s the difference between gambling at a casino or doing so playing online from the comfort of your own home. Quite a bit, according to billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson, who in his latest ‘Coalition Against Internet Gambling’ funded campaign has warned that online poker not only represents a threat to both old and young alike, but may also help mobsters and terrorists gain a foothold in the United States.

Consequently, the 80 year-old Las Vegas Sands CEO and self-appointed face of anti-online poker in the US, has declared he is willing to spend “whatever it takes” to halt the spread of online gambling and as a result formed ‘the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling’ which recently launched a six-figure ad campaign warning against internet wagering and the dangers it poses to US society.

Anti-online gambling ad designed to spread fear

The new anti-internet gambling video is designed to spread fear and distrust amongst the populace and after starting off with a shot of a couple of shady silhouettes shaking hands, proceeds with the announcement that “Right now, disreputable gaming interests are lobbying hard to spread Internet gambling across the country.”

After warning that families, children, and the elderly would soon be targeted and succumb to online-gambling mania, ‘the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling’ ad then drops its bombshell that online gambling sites could easily be used by criminals and terrorists for
money-laundering to finance other 9-11 style attacks in the United States.

“While the FBI is busy defending against terrorist threats and cyber-attacks, Internet gambling will give criminals across the world a foothold in every American household, attracting criminal activity not only at home but internationally,” warned the ad.

Coalition ad faces backlash for being irresponsible

In the past some politicians, such as Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller, have highlighted the potential risks for money laundering posed by online gambling. In addition, big casino interests concerned about the new industry possibly cutting into their land-based casino profits, have also expressed concerns about potential organized crime elements infiltrating the gambling industry as it had done in the past prior to its demise in the 1980s.

However, US authorities are increasingly of the opinion that a properly regulated internet gambling industry would not only protect gamblers by providing a safe, regulated environment in which to play, but would also help boost cash-starved state coffers. Morgan Stanley, for instance, has predicted by 2020 internet gambling in the U.S. will generate $9.3 billion in annual revenues, equivalent to the combined markets of Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Not surprisingly, online-gaming proponents were quick to pounce on the new anti-online gambling commercial along with its alarmist narrator and foreboding backtrack, labeling the one minute and 20 second ad as “absurd” and “irresponsible.” Responding to the ‘Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling’ ad, John Pappas, director of the Poker Players Alliance, commented:

“The notion that licensed and regulated Internet poker would be an attractive conduit for terrorism financing is on its face laughable. There isn’t a shred of evidence to support this, except for far-fetched claims manufactured by this coalition.”

Battle heats up between online gambling lobbyists

As the battle to determine the future of online gambling in the US rages on, a new pro-advocacy group called the ‘Coalition for Consumer & Online Protection’ (C4COP) has sprung up in order to counteract opposition coming from Sheldon Adelson’s multimillion dollar lobbying operation, the ‘Coallition Against Internet Gambling’.

One of the measures the C4COP group said it will undertake is to launch its own ad campaign specifically directed towards federal decision makers. The organization is supported by some powerful pro-interest groups, including the American Gaming Association (AGA), MGM Resorts International and the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), and highlighting the goals of the C4COP, AGA President Geoff Freeman, explained:

“The coalition will operate exclusively at the federal level — encouraging Congress to embrace regulation as the best means to protect minors, detect money launderers and eliminate a dangerous black market.”

The pro-online gambling group initially sprung up in response to 15 state attorney generals signing Adelson’s Internet Gambling Control Act, a draft piece of legislation designed to revise the DoJ’s re-interpretation of the 1961 Wire Act to include online poker and online casino games. Nevertheless, even though C4COP’s key objective may primarily be to stymy Adelson’s anti-internet gambling drive, the organization will also be using its campaign to drive forward its own agenda of full legalization of the US online gaming industry.