31.01.2014 written by Alice Kinlan

Sheldon Adelson battles online gambling

It is no secret that Sheldon Adelson is fighting against online gambling. With his Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling, he is now trying to get the Wire Act from 1961 amended, so that online gambling would be no longer possible. His 3 page long reform proposal is not yet finished and needs a few revisions before it can be presented before the lawmakers. The amendment is predominantly aimed at skill games, such as online poker and Adelson made it clear that money is not an issue in his fight against online gambling.

At the moment, online gambling has been legalised in three US states, more to follow this year. This calls for an amendment of the Wire Act, as this 1961 bill is mainly aimed at sports betting and outlawed bets made over the telephone. In 2011 the first clarification of the bill allowed states to offer online gambling and poker.

The political involvement of Adelson in this matter is particularly interesting. In recent years several large donations had been made to the republican party by Adelson, one of them being a $5 Million donation to the presidential elections, and another $5 Million for the PAC Congressional Leadership fund. Will all these donations help with his battle against online gambling? Now Adelson is trying to win the congress for his idea, and he already drafted the bill amendment. To help him with his efforts, he hired lobbyists and publicity experts in Washington, who are now preparing this years debate.

Adelson's arguments against online gambling

The CEO of Las Vegas Sands, one of the biggest casino groups in the world, Sheldon Adelson has been battling online gambling and in particular poker for a while now. He arguments that online gambling is a threat to the people, especially minors and the poor. Using an online casino or poker site is too easy and there are no security measures to protect these people. The potential risk for them is too high.

However, other casino managers don't agree with Adelson. Caesar's Entertainment states that Internet gambling is not a problem, as long as it is regulated properly. They claim it could even help the economy and increase casino revenues.

About Las Vegas Sands

Founded in 1988, Las Vegas Sands Corp is one of the leading gambling and entertainment groups in the world. The headquarters are based in Paradise, Nevada, USA. The company manages casinos and hotels in the US and Asia. The group owns two casino-hotels on the Strip in Las Vegas, The Venetian and The Palazzo. Among their other properties in the US is the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Pennsylvania. They also own several casinos in China, among them the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore and The Venetian in Macao. The group has about 40.000 employees and generates a yearly revenue of about 11 Billion US Dollars.


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