Sheldon Adelson vs Online Gaming

There is a lot of buzz about Sheldon Adelson's latest salvo against online gaming in Forbes Magazine.

Read it here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbe...is-fools-gold/

I agree. I don't like the idea of online gaming, even regulated online gaming including online poker.

I don't object to online gaming that is free to play and is sponsored by brick and mortar casinos as a way to introduce consumers to brick and mortar gaming establishments. I don't object to online casinos that are free to play and award prizes or even cash that is funded by advertising.

I don't like the idea that people can sit at home and can play at all hours, sitting in their underwear, in front of a computer screen without even as much effort as having to get up out of their chair to walk to an ATM.

I know that online gaming is soon going to be a reality across the country, and it will be "approved" because of government regulation and potential tax revenue. But in the long run it will be a mistake.

If government wants more revenue then expand brick and mortar casino gambling which at least can police who comes through the doors and can offer more regulation than an online password.

Alan--In Illinois we have had casinos for over 20 years now. Originally, they had to be riverboats and they would cruise on the river (some were fake rivers on a track in a little water) for 2 hours and then they would re-dock and re-load. If you weren't a high roller or if you were not at a table when they were docking and didn't get a sticker, they would kick you off. Several times we missed the sticker and would hide in the john to stay on the next cruise.

Anyway, those casinos were all in god forsaken areas 50 mile from Chicago in the middle of nowhere, to supposedly re-build those cities. They failed in that respect and we at least now converted to barges or even land based rather than boats. But year after year a casino expansion is proposed to include a mega casino in downtown chicago; our senate and house fight about it for months; a bill gets to the governor; and it fails. Such a casino is to be owned by the City with a great portion of the revenues to go to education (of course the lottery money was supposed to go there and never did).

This last session that just ended, the casino proposal was a certainty to pass because our governor was finally on board. But they made the mistake of including on-line gambling as well. As the bill was going to hell because of the on-line provisions, they pulled them---but it was too late and the bill failed to get called for vote again.

It is just political BS as it has been from day 1 over 20 years ago. While I have no interest in on-line gaming, I have been able to bet horses legally on-line for about 10 years now, and it is the best thing that could ever happen to a horse player. If I am at work and a horse on my watch list is running, I don't have to try to leave the office and get to the track to bet the horse. On the weekend, if I am sitting home and the Cubs are losing again, I can turn on the puter and play a few horses. So I am not sure what your concerns are with the on-line gambling. Mine are just that I wouldn't trust it, but I am not sure what you find objectionable otherwise.

I should add that our government has completely missed the boat on legalizing sports betting both in other states and on-line, as this would be a goldmine in taxes. It would also save our police force and courts wasting their time chasing the bookies.