“One of the things I’ve learned in this industry is we are extraordinarily competent at shooting at one another.” So said American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman after getting caught in the crossfire over Internet gambling. So, as the industry collapses into opposing factions, a bill draft is making the rounds on Capitol Hill. One step forward and two back, it would reiterate the federal ban on sports wagering and ban all forms of Internet wagering except poker, lotteries and horse racing (the horsey set is sacrosanct).
Now, one of these things is not like the others. Poker is a game of skill, which hardly could be said of playing the lottery or the ponies. Even if you could play poker online, the bill draft would strengthen the anti-payment strictures of UIGEA, making it seem rather at cross purposes with itself.
According to Jon Ralston, who smoked this out, it’s not a Las Vegas Sands-backed initiative. Quite the contrary. The fingerprints on the bill belong to Caesars Entertainment, whose lobbyist — former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour — is shopping it around. Caesars must be running scared from Sheldon Adelson if it’s willing to give up its New Jersey online casinos in hopes of keeping WSOP.com.
Worried about keeping your money safe? Stay out of Macao. Two Ukranians used malware to siphon PINs and customer data from Macanese ATMs. Having your account pilfered thusly could really take the fun out of sic bo.
Now for a word from our sponsor. The June issue of Las Vegas Advisor is out and it has a consumer-friendly critique of The Cromwell, along with Anthony Curtis‘ analysis of l’affaire Affleck at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Why the ban on sports-betting? That would be the most lucrative of all gambling opportunities for all the casinos. It would easily become a Trillion-dollar market nationally.