One of the most powerful men in the gaming community has expressed his thoughts on the current drive in the United States for online gaming, coming down on the side of a complete ban.

Longtime Las Vegas Sands Chief Executive Officer Sheldon Adelson (pictured) who created the largest gaming company in the world, penned an op/ed for Forbes with the assistance of Steven Bertoni on Wednesday addressing online gaming. The direction that Adelson will take is obvious from his opening salvo. “‘Click your mouse and lose your house’ isn’t a marketing slogan for advocates of legalized online gambling,” Adelson stated, “But it should be.”

Adelson explained, “As an industry leader and, more importantly, as a father, grandfather, citizen, and patriot of this great country, I am adamantly opposed to the legalization and proliferation of online casino gaming.” The Sands CEO called online gambling “fool’s gold” and went further by stating that online gaming in any form is a “societal train wreck waiting to happen.”

In arguing his case, Adelson pointed out that the Sands Corporation makes twice as much money from its non-gaming operations as it does in the pits. He also said that the Asian operations provide “almost all” of the company’s casino profits. “Online gambling doesn’t exist (in Asia) and won’t be legalized soon, if ever,” Adelson wrote.

The Sands CEO also cited statistics that have shown a decrease in casino gaming in Europe since the advent of online gaming. “A number of European countries have shown that the proliferation of internet gaming has… resulted in a 20% decrease in visitation to land-based casinos.” Adelson declared, “Research also shows that, over the past ten years, internet gambling revenue has gone up on average 26% to 28%. Meanwhile, land-based casinos have been flat or even contracted over that same time (when) they were expected to increase at 5% to 10% per year.”

Adelson believes that, while online gaming would have no impact on his or other major casino operations in the United States, it would have an impact on “other commercial casinos, Native American casinos, and racetrack casinos” across the country. Adelson foresees a live gaming industry with online gaming that would shed 200,000 direct gaming industry jobs and an additional 200,000 in “indirect” employment in the casino industry.

Adelson went off on another tangent that has long been the cry of those who have looked to ban online gaming. “The plague (that online gaming) could bring to our society is even more far-reaching,” Adelson opined. “The possibility of underage children finding ways to place online wagers and the potential of people betting under the influence of drugs or being coerced are all scenarios that can happen. When gambling is available in every bedroom, every dorm room, and every office space, there will be no way to fully determine that each wager has been placed in a rational and consensual manner.”

Adelson also said that internet gaming “addiction” among young teens and adults is something that “online gambling advocates” know “there’s a lot of money to be made” from marketing to them.

What are Adelson’s cures for the online gaming issue? “I strongly urge Congress to either rewrite the Federal Wire Act or pass new legislation making internet gaming illegal nationwide,” Adelson wrote. “Additionally, I encourage greater enforcement of the laws currently prohibiting offshore internet gaming companies from engaging in transactions with U.S. citizens.”

Adelson finished up his opinion piece by saying, “No, online gambling is not a threat to my business… it is a threat to our society – a toxin which all good people ought to resist.” What type of reaction Adelson receives to his viewpoint will be interesting to see. The AGA has said that Adelson is not actively working against online gambling interests.

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