Card Player – Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson had an opinion piece posted on the Las Vegas Review-Journal website just a couple of days ago. In it, he further elaborates on his anti-Internet poker stance.
The whole situation is a mess and very difficult to untangle, as some think Adelson is being hypocritical while he has accused supporters of online poker, some of who are his competitors, to be hypocrites themselves.
First off, he thinks that online gambling would be dangerous for minors and other individuals who might have gambling addictions or develop gambling addictions. Secondly, he says that games on the web wouldn’t be a good long-term bet for the industry.
“I do believe there will be a negative impact on land-based casinos, especially those in regional locations,” he wrote. “This fact has already been demonstrated in Europe. The more they claim success on the Internet, the greater the negative impact on land-based casinos. Anybody who doesn’t think land-based casinos are not going to be hurt is playing wishful thinking.”
Adelson’s sort of rival, frenemy might be a better term, in the casino industry, Steve Wynn, was recently asked about the former’s position on online gambling. He told reporters:
“On the other hand, playing poker is America, and outlawing poker is like the Volstead Act where they outlawed beer…I think it’s questionable whether Sheldon will be able to stop it, which is not to say he is wrong. I just think this sort of thing has a life of its own. I‘m neither a proponent nor opponent of it. I’m an observer of this process and the chairman of a publicly traded company that is required to pay attention to such things.”
Adelson will launch a coalition to stop the spread of Internet gambling in the United States early next year. He has said he is willing to spend tons of cash on the issue.
