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If you thought casino billionaire and big time GOP donor Sheldon Adelson was through with his rant regarding legalized online poker in the US, he actually decided to take things up a notch.
Speaking on Bloomberg Television Thursday, Adelson didn’t hold back. He denied any hidden agendas, referring to his initial rant on Forbes.com.
Adelson insists it’s mostly all about the potential harm inflicted on society.
“I have 2 teenage boys. They get addicted to everything that is on the TV. When they talk about Gary Loveman only wants Poker. Gary Loverman and MGM have their own challenges. I do not have Challenges… We made billions of dollars last year. It is not a money issue with me. I think it is a train wreck. It’s really toxicity. It is a cancer waiting to happen.”
Adelson asserted Wednesday that he would like to see current prohibition strengthened to prevent individual states from allowing legalized real money gambling.
He also blasted the concept that poker is a game of skill.
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“That skill base is, in my opinion, just a bunch of baloney. To get a card is not skill base. I know people say it is skill based, but it’s just so they can categorize it in a certain segment. “I do not want my children to have the opportunity to become addicted to gaming. And poker, in my opinion, would become one of the most addictive games. People do not get addicted to necessarily playing blackjack. They get addicted for the game. It is one of the many compulsive behaviors and somebody is addicted to gaming, they are addicted to some other compulsive behaviors. Can you tell me one good reason why internet gaming should be allowed.” |
At the state level, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie forecast his state could take in as much as $160 million in a year from taxing online gambling. When asked how taxation from the Internet sector could not benefit the US, Adelson equated Web gambling to cocaine and prostitution.
“You could also make that argument for legalizing heroin and cocaine and prostitution. You can create a lot of sin tax for the government to make money,” Adelson argued.
Angry poker players reacted to the initial Forbes piece and Gambling911.com doesn’t see that vitriol subsiding any time soon with Adelson’s latest remarks. Some have even called for a boycott of Adelson owned properties.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
