Sheldon Adelson Seeks Federal Ban on Online Gambling

Published on November 19th, 2013 11:35 pm EST

Sheldon Adelson, chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, is busily preparing to launch an attack against online gambling next year.

Sheldon Adelson's primary goal? To secure a federal ban of online gambling in the United States. According to Adelson, online gambling is a cancer that threatens to destroy families across the country.

Unfortunately for proponents of legalized online gambling in the United States, Sheldon Adelson is a very rich man who has a tremendous amount of influence and some friends in very high places.

Adelson has a virtually bottomless bankroll (his net worth is in excess of $30 billion) that he is not afraid to use. Adelson donated over $50 million of his money to a variety of different super PACs in the run-up to the 2012 Presidential election, including tens of millions of dollars to a pro-Mitt Romney super PAC. Adelson has shown that he has no problem deploying large amounts of money to back up initiatives and candidates that he believes in.

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According to the Washington Post (link below), Adelson is currently putting together a powerful anti-online gambling group, despite the fact that practically all of his competitors are now in favor of regulated online gambling.

According to the article, Adelson will be rolling out an advocacy group called "The Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling" in January. This advocacy group will apparently warn against the dangers of online gambling.

In addition, Adelson has hired three former elected officials, Wellington Webb, Blanche Lincoln and George Pataki, to help spread his anti-online gambling message. According to the Washington Post, these three people will be out in force next year, giving speeches and writing op-eds to help push Adelson's message.

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Sheldon Adelson is not the type of person to walk away from a fight. If Adelson feels that his mission to secure a federal ban on online gambling is not going well, he will gladly commit even more resources to the cause.

Source: WashingtonPost.com - Sheldon Adelson, top 2012 donor and casino magnate, readies to fight Internet gambling

Photo: DonkeyHotey

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Filed Under: Poker Legal Issues