Bugsy Siegel never had to deal with an Internet gambling ban. He opened the Flamingo Hotel in 1946 and launched the Las Vegas Strip, and gambling has held a tenuous position in American life ever since. Now that casinos have spread nationwide and allegedly shed their mafia ties, a new branch of the industry is fighting for legitimacy. Some countries regulate online gambling, like the United Kingdom. Some ban everything, including gambling advertising.
Las Vegas based casinos and overseas operators have begun an all-out battle, hoping for an Internet gambling ban. nationwide but carries with it the promise of billions of dollars in additional revenue for casinos and state governments. Three states began licensing online betting last year, and Congress is facing increasing pressure to either bar or regulate the fledgling industry.
The moves are coming in response to a concerted push orchestrated by a colorful cast of characters, including Sheldon Adelson, one of the most prolific political donors of the super PAC era, an offshore company that only recently settled federal allegations of money laundering and bank fraud, and a pair of benignly named political advocacy groups backed by big-time casino cash.
Adelson, a prominent backer of conservative political causes and head of the Las Vegas Sands casino empire, has pledged to spend “whatever it takes” to get Congress to ban Internet gambling outright. In March, Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Jason Chaffetz introduced a bill that was written with the help of Adelson’s lobbyists to achieve that goal. This story on Adelson’s proposed Internet gambling ban first appeared on the Slate website
