Casinos Join the Fight Against Online Gaming
The more news that comes out against online gaming, the more it feels like people are fighting against a monster they just don’t understand. It’s been revealed that in addition to Sheldon Adelson and Rick Perry, some casinos are chipping in to try and put a stop to the online gaming movement.
The Restoration of America’s Wire Act, which was introduced in March by Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah, has caused groups to split into two directions – there’s no middle ground. Either they support the restoration and want to put a stop to online gambling, or they oppose it and want online gambling to progress.
At the very forefront of the supporting group is Sheldon Adelson, casino magnate. He’s made no secret of his desire to put a stop to online gaming, and he’s thrown a ton of money at the issue in the form of hiring lobbyists. He has the support of his family, who has pitched in $15,600, as well as the Las Vegas Sands PAC, which gave him $5,000.
During the second quarter of this year, though, the Las Vegas Sands paid out $290,000 just on the issue of online gambling. Caesars Entertainment, a rival of Adelson, is spending even more. So far this year, they’ve spent nearly $2 million dollars on a variety of issues, one of which is online gambling. It seems that Caesars and Adelson can see eye to eye on this issue.
The list doesn’t stop there. Churchill Downs spent $95,000, Boyd Gaming spent $230,000, and MGM Resorts have spent $240,000. Note that all of the money isn’t going toward the fight of online gaming, just a portion of it, but the point remains.
At some point, it almost feels like people are just throwing money at an issue either because they don’t understand it or they’re scared of it. In Adelson’s case, it’s both. It’s well known that he hates technology, and he’s terrified that online gaming will hurt his land-based casinos. It seems like the sites that offer no deposit promotions really have him scared.
Adelson has had the support of various other people and organizations. However, online gambling is far from dead. With Pennsylvania poised to legalize it, California contemplating it, and states posting profits despite land-based casino revenues being down, it might be a case of too little, too late.
As the issue heats up, expect Adelson to recruit the support of various other organizations, politicians, and lobbyists. He’s going to go to war over this issue, and with a nearly unlimited supply of money, it’s going to be an intense fight. Hopefully they’ll take a look at the data and realize that online gaming does nothing but help the states that it’s legalized in instead of wasting more money by supporting the Restoration of America’s Wire Act.