Adelson’s bogus poll & other fun with numbers

To hear Sheldon Adelson tell it, 70% of Americans share his die-hard opposition to Internet gambling. He even bought a poll from The Tarrance Group to prove its point. Unfortunately for the Sultan of Sands, the monarch has no clothes. Online Poker Report, using Google Consumer Surveys, conducted a large opinion sampling of its own. The results are about what you’d expect. Fervent opposition to Internet poker is found among 29% of respondents, strong support among 19% — and the plurality, 34%, occupy the middle ground. Unlike Tarrance Group, OPR is making its methodology available as well. Tarrance used a larger sample but cherry-picked four states to poll … two of which (Virginia and Kentucky) don’t even have casino gambling. The questions were also framed in such a way as to elicit a negative response, a tactic known as “push polling.” The purpose of the poll was to further Adelson’s agenda: It had to produce a desired outcome. What are the chances Adelson would pay for a poll that didn’t say what he wanted?

Columnist Jason Kirk remorselessly strips Adelson of the op-ed fig leaf behind which the mogul attempts to cloak his flawed findings. It’s a blistering critique of Adelson’s intellectual dishonesty and condescension, and exactly what the paternalistic oligarch deserves. Kirk writes that “we’d be living in a very different world, apparently one where Americans’ internet access is restricted according to the whims of an 80-year-old billionaire casino magnate …  He can’t control his own children’s impulses, so he wants to control how other people entertain themselves instead.” Ouch!

Interestingly, Caesars Entertainment, in a recent SEC filing, conceded one of Adelson’s major arguments: “Expansion of online gaming in Nevada, the commencement and expansion of online gaming in New Jersey and the introduction of online gaming in other jurisdictions may further compete with our operations. Online gaming may reduce customer visitation and spend in our traditional casinos in Nevada and New Jersey, which could have an adverse impact on our business and result of operations.” The company argued that the verbiage was merely boilerplate, but the damage has been done — and by one of the companies at the forefront of the ‘Net-betting push.

Switching to milder forms of jiggery-pokery, Greenwood Racing is selling some dubious job numbers out in Raynham, Massachusetts. The parent company of Parx Casino is claiming that its $199 million slot parlor (proposal) would create 1,778 permanent jobs upon completion. And yet … Greenwood employs 1,246 at Parx, its flagship racino in Philadelphia and one of the two highest-grossing casinos in Pennsylvania. It makes Jim Murren‘s prediction of 3,000 jobs at $700 million MGM Springfield look conservative, even demure. Elsewhere, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is finding his i-gaming revenue projections a tough sell to lawmakers.

Dixie paternalism. Evidently the Christian Coalition of Alabama never got the memo about tribal sovereignty. It wants to ban alcohol from all gambling facilities, even Indian ones. Good luck going onto the rez and enforcing that one. If this tomfoolery passes the Lege, it’s destined to spend years tied up in court.

Sweeping tort reform passed the House of Representatives this week, much to the delight of American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman. The bill would (hopefully) curb the incessant patent litigation in which Big Gaming’s manufacturing sector is constantly embroiled. Name-brand companies are divided on the legislation, with some trade groups wanting a narrower fix to the problem. Also, the issue is before the Supreme Court at present. The high court hopefully will provide some guidance before the U.S. Senate enacts its own version and the two bills are reconciled.