Back in November of 2013 Sheldon Adelson vowed to spend "whatever it takes" to stop online gambling, but it appears the casino tycoon, who just happens to be one of the richest men on the planet has his limits, or at least his company does.
According to the OpenSecrets.org website (OpenSecrets.org tracks political contributions) Las Vegas Sands Corp. spent $290,000 during the 2nd Quarter of 2014 lobbying to stop online gambling. This puts their yearly total at $460,000.
Conversely, Caesars Entertainment spent nearly $1 million in the 2nd Quarter of 2014 lobbying in favor of online gambling, and has spent $1.8 million in 2014. In addition to Caesars, MGM and Boyd Gaming spent $240,000 and $230,000 respectively during the 2nd Quarter, and Churchill Downs contributed nearly another $100,000 according to OpenSecrets.org.
The money spent on both sides is expected to be at record levels in 2014.
Before you get too excited, realize that these numbers don’t account for outside spending, money spent at the state level, or personal contributions to candidates, these are simply the totals spent on registered Washington DC lobbyists.
Fighting the wrong battle
One concern proponents of online gambling should have is that companies like Caesars, Boyd, and MGM seem to be fighting this battle on Adelson’s terms.
Adelson wants this to be a fight about morality and these companies are playing right into his hand, letting him defend Stirling Bridge instead of drawing him into a larger conflict that is more beneficial to their side. The battle for online gambling regulation is not simply one of morality, it has to do with consumer protections, states’ rights, revenue, jobs and more.
Instead of lobbying for a bill that would legalize and regulate online gambling on these grounds they are spending their money trying to stop Adelson’s prohibitive efforts.
Martin Shapiro (AKA pokerxanadu) has proposed a comprehensive online gambling bill dubbed the Internet Wagering Citizens Protection Act (IWCPA) that these companies should be fighting for, or a bill in the mold of Shapiro’s, but instead they are busy playing defense against Adelson’s Restoration of Americas Wire Act (RAWA) bills.
Sure Adelson hasn’t scored, but how can you ever win the game if you just punt the ball back to him every time? These companies spending millions of dollars a year need to stop doing so defensively and start being proactive with their aims.
If the status quo continues Adelson may not get what he wants (a ban on all online gambling at the federal level) but he is keeping the other side from achieving their goals of legalization and regulation. And in this instance it’s Adelson who wins in a stalemate.
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