Sheldon Adelson to Continue on Anti-Internet Gambling Quest

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Tuesday, November 19th, 2013 | Written by Shane Larson

Las Vegas Sands Corp. chief Sheldon Adelson, well-known in the United States for both his massive contributions to conservative politicians and causes and for his blustering against the regulation of online betting is in the news again this week, after an article in the Washington Post reported that Adelson is mobilizing to begin a new round of attacks on online poker and other games.

Adelson to move forward at both state and national levels

Adelson, who in June published an opinion article on Forbes.com in which he railed against what he sees as a toxic industry, despite the fact that he himself has profited mightily throughout the decades as the head of a major international gambling company, has hired three former legislators to work to spread his anti-online betting message via written and spoken word. In Adelson’s new bi-partisan arsenal are former New York Governor George Pataki, former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, as well as a former Senator from the state of Arkansas, Blanche Lincoln. Notwithstanding his own longtime – and extremely lucrative – involvement in the land-based betting industry, Adelson has said he worries that with the introduction of regulated, real money online poker in the United States in addition to legalized online casino games, minors might have ready access to such sites. “This could be our ‘Joe Camel’ moment,” said an advisor for Adelson, Andy Abboud.

Online betting regulated in three states already

Most gambling industry experts believe that given the current political climate in Washington D.C., movement on online gambling legislation is highly unlikely to happen at the federal level anytime in the foreseeable future. State by state regulation is more likely to be the route to which more Americans gain access to real money wagering web sites. Already three states, Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey, have passed online gambling legislation. Delaware and Nevada have both seen the successful launches of their markets this year, with New Jersey set to follow in just one week’s time, on November 26. To address the likelihood that state by state regulation will be the way forward for U.S. iGaming, Adelson also plans to work with lobbyists at the state level to restrict access to real money online betting. Opponents of Adelson, some of whom have become quite enraged by his anti-gambling Forbes piece as well as his continuing fight against online gaming regulation, point out that well-established gambling markets, such as UK online poker rooms and other regulated European online poker markets don’t experience the “sky has fallen” types of issues that Adelson has described. In fact, a lack of regulation poses a greater risk not only of access by minors to real money betting sites. With a lack of oversight by the government, be it at the federal or state level, a climate is created that allows for shady offshore operators to proliferate. Absent online gaming regulation, disreputable operators can run amok, often causing financial havoc for players.