Sands Boss Opposes Online Poker Legislation

December 12 - Rival casino groups in the United States have come out strongly in opposition to views expressed by the chairman of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., Sheldon Adelson, regarding the legalization of online poker in the country.

The billionaire casino tycoon commented last week that he had met with senior leaders in the Republican Party to try and influence them in not backing legislation that would provide for a regulated online poker industry in the United States.

A spokesman for Adelson confirmed that he had met with Republican Senator and infamous proponent of legalized online gambling, Jon Kyl, and that the two had discussed the issue of online poker and online gambling in the US.

The spokesman said the Sands boss opposed online poker as he was concerned there was no available technology to prevent underage gambling on the internet - a fact that is hotly disputed by most casino operators in the United States.

The Senior Vice President of Caesars Entertainment Corp, Jan Jones commented that Adelson has long been concerned about underage gaming on the internet, "but it's happening now and it's totally uncontrolled."

"The solution is fixing legislation, not looking the other way," said Jones. "His concerns are real, but I'm not sure he really understand the issue. Doing nothing is not being responsible."

Caesars Entertainment is one of the biggest supporters of change in the current laws governing online poker in the United States. The group has major interests in the poker world, owning, amongst other brands, the World Series of Poker.

Vegas Casino Executives Support Online Poker

Vegas casino executives, for the most, support a change in legislation that would see online gambling and poker regulated by the federal government, and companies allowed to apply for online poker operating licenses.

Many of these casino groups, including MGM Resorts International and Boyd Gaming Corp. have struck deals with online gambling groups such as Party Poker, which would see them operating online poker games when the government legalizes the game in the US.

Nevada is already pushing legislation that would see the state approve online poker and oversee the licensing of operators as soon as federal laws change.

While Jon Kyl may be listening to Adelson, it doesn't mean he will have a change of heart about backing the regulation of online poker in the US.

Some of his Republican colleagues continue to back the legalization of online gambling, including Sen. Dean Heller (Nevada) who said that he believes it is Congress' responsibility to craft a "balanced, comprehensive approach to online poker that will provide new economic opportunities  for Nevada's gaming industry."