Let’s face it: Sheldon Adelson is old, distrusts computers and clearly fears Internet gambling’s encroachment on his mammoth brick-and-mortar casinos. Which means 
that even if he fails to get the Restore America’s Wire Act bill passed in Congress’ lame-duck session, he won’t be satisfied until he’s come between you and your legal right (where applicable) to gamble online. As chief lobbyist Andy Abboud says, “He’s a man of great conviction. He doesn’t waver.”
Emissaries from Adelson have been meeting with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R) and outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D). It’s well known that Reid would trade away games of chance in order to preserve online poker. But it’s doubtful that Adelson would even consider such a compromise. It’s his way or the highway, on this and other issues. While Adelson’s opponents are framing the debate as a states’ rights issue, he’s treating it as one of interstate commerce, having made the discovery that “The Internet is all over the country.” (Damn that sneaky technology!) Besides, Adelson doesn’t hesitate to meddle in the affairs of states other than Nevada, having recently been instrumental in defeating a Florida constitutional amendment that would have legalized medicinal marijuana. Eternal vigilance is the price of not living under the thumb of Sheldon Adelson.
* Speaking of Florida, Adelson protege Gov. Rick Scott (R) is trying to nail down a compact with the Seminole Tribe. The Lege, however, is described as being “problematic.” For instance, one obstacle is — if you’ll pardon the phrase — Indian giver and new state Senate President Andy Gardiner (R), who “said recently that he doesn’t care if the table games disappear and the state loses the Seminoles’ cash.” That’d be a $116 million bite out of the state’s general fund. “I don’t feel the pressure to necessarily renew that compact,” Gardiner shrugged.
Pushing the Seminoles back into the dark ages of Class II gaming, besides being benighted, would have the cascading effect of causing Miami-Dade and Broward 
county parimutuels to lose their slot machines — federal law decrees they can’t have what the tribes don’t. Even if they can hang on to what they’ve got (which is contingent on a tribal compact), private-sector operators want their tax rate cut from 35% to the Seminoles’ 16% equivalent. They’d also like longer hours of operation and similar table game offerings. And, whatever the parimutuels get, the Seminoles are likely to want a little bit more, to preserve their market supremacy. For instance, under the current compact the Seminoles were able to nix slots at any parimutuel that didn’t have them when the compact was inked.
Ubiquitous Las Vegas Sands wants a casino megaresort bundled into the compact, with Adelson lobbyist Nick Iarossi saying, “To garner the votes to ratify a new compact will be a balancing act. But I’m confident that whatever passes will have a competitive bid for a destination resort contained therein.” Adelson practically drenched Florida with campaign cash this year, so he’s got a number of markers he can call in. The Seminoles weren’t shy about spending, either, including a $500,000 donation to Scott’s reelection. Warns Seminole attorney Barry Richard, “The tribe really doesn’t want to be in an adversarial situation with the state. The card games have been very successful for the tribe and the state.”
I doubt the Seminoles want to see Sands-size competition coming into the state. But when dealing with troglodytes like Gardiner, Adelson and the tribe have a common interest.
