Sheldon Adelson, CEO of the Las Vegas Sands, has recently spoken out against online gambling legislation in the United States. Although he is owner of one of the biggest casino brands in the world, Adelson has denounced online gambling, stating that it encourages addictive behaviour and is easily accessible by young people.

In response to his announcement, online gambling fans across America are looking to boycott Aldeson’s Venetian Casino in Las Vegas. The boycott would come at an unfortunate time for Adelson. While the Venetian does not regularly attract a huge poker crowd, this month is the World Series of Poker. Thousands of poker players from around the world descend upon the casino to play in competitive poker tournaments.

If the boycott were successful, both the WSOP brand and Adelson would feel a pretty big hit. Joe Pappas of the Poker Players’ Association has confirmed that many online poker players are outraged over Adelson’s announcements. While his association is not actively organizing the boycott, he knows that a demonstration is brewing.

Nicholas Kisberg, CEO of CardsChat.com, recently wrote an open letter in which he addresses the issue. He notes that Adelson’s message used scare-mongering and slanderous claims in order to discourage Americans from backing online gambling legislation. He also compares online gambling to land-based casinos, and notes that players can enjoy themselves by spending far less money than they would at one of Las Vegas Sands’ casinos.

“Certainly online gambling offers people far more opportunity to have some fun. They can play slots for free, or poker for cents. We don't think the Venetian offers those kinds of facilities. You might play a few hands if you have $200 in your pocket perhaps?” he wrote in the letter which was published by Business Insider. “On the Internet, $10 is plenty to get you started.

But betting $10 is hardly indicative of someone ‘clicking their mouse to lose their house’”.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.