Sheldon Adelson Hires Firm to Monitor Online Gambling Policy Issues

It’s no secret that Sheldon Adelson is strongly against the legalization and regulation of online gambling. It’s a legitimate concern for him, which makes sense, given that online gambling sites are drawing record traffic numbers, thanks to no deposit promotions. While data shows that online casinos have supplemented, not hurt, income for land based casinos, he still seems to think that the legalization of online gaming will spell the end of land-based casinos.

It’s a case of “this is new and unfamiliar, I’m scared of it, so that means it’s evil”. Adelson is no friend to technology. In a recent interview, he stated that he avoids modern technology as much as he can. That means, even though he’s the 8th richest person in the world, he avoids using e-mail and text messaging as much as humanly possible.

It makes sense, then, that he’d hire someone to go to war for him. It’s a lot easier to throw money at a problem and expect it to go away than it is to stand on the frontlines and fight for your cause. Adelson has hired The Keelen Group to monitor all federal policy issues related to Internet gambling.

The Keelen Group is dedicated to helping out their clients in situations like this. The lobbying firm will do everything they can to fight Adelson’s war, and if there’s any change to any policies, he’ll be among the first to be notified.

There are two bills that Adelson has asked The Keelen Group to focus their support on. The first is a bill that was introduced by Congressman Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah. The second, the “Restoration of America’s Wire Act”, was introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, and would reverse the decision made in 2011 by the Justice Department that allowed states to legalize Internet gambling.

Though the Keelen Group prides itself on having an impact on their client’s bottom line, that’s not really the case with Adelson. His pockets are near-endless, and he’s vowed to spend “whatever it takes” to make this issue go away.

Among Sheldon’s chief complaints about Internet gambling is the fact that websites can’t safeguard children from logging on and playing. Given the fact that this isn’t 1996 anymore and there are a ton of safeguards in place, he still talks about this issue. In Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey, where online gaming is legal, an overwhelming zero cases of children gambling online have been reported.

It will be interesting to see what impact the Keelen Group has on the issue of online gambling, if any. One thing’s for certain, though: when Adelson said he’ll do whatever it takes to stop online gambling, he meant it.