U.S. Poker reports that the rumored change of heart by American business magnate, Sheldon Adelson, on his opinion of online gambling has proven to be untrue.
The article reports of a Friday night tweet by PokerNews.com managing editor Brett Collson that sent poker bloggers into a ‘frenzy’ when he stated that Adelson had possibly “switched his position on online poker.”
Adelson has been vehemently against the legalization of online gambling in the US which had made the revelation that much more stunning. Las Vegas Sands Vice President of Government Relations and Community Development, Andy Abboud, put the rumor to rest saying: “This article is not accurate. Sheldon Adelson has not changed his position.”
The rumor killer should come as no surprise to many that know Adelson. The Las Vegas Sands CEO doesn’t typically back down and is renowned for making huge contributions to causes he is passionate about.
Today, Adelson still aims to put a stop to the legalization of online gambling in the U.S. He has written a passionate opinion piece for Forbes and has even created a website to block internet gambling.
Poker players view his campaign against online gambling as a “thinly veiled attempt to protect the revenues of his own casinos.” Adelson’s opinion piece on Forbes, however, cites research from European countries which “shows that the proliferation of internet gaming has, as a start, resulted in a 20 percent decrease in visitation to the land-based casinos in those countries.”
Join the Conversation