I have time now to properly respond to this article and I am going to pick him apart quite easily.
First of all - he is primarily attacking online poker - he just thinks he gains credibility by lumping it in with other types of degenerate gambling. Poker is not like playing craps or slot machines. There is a strong level of skill involved in playing poker that sets it apart from other types of gambling.
"Critics will claim I have ulterior motives in taking such a strong stand on this issue."
One of the few true statements in his article - they/we will pick him apart because it is crystal clear that he does have ulterior motives.
"the hit on other commercial casinos, Native American casinos, and racetrack-casinos across the land could be substantial and even lead to their eventual demise."
Drama King? People who flock to live casinos for degenerate gambling will continue to do so - they are not online poker players. In addition - online poker players who would have never or rarely go to live casinos now fill tournaments in them in record breaking numbers. Take me for example. I used to go to a live casino about once every 2-3 years. Since I started playing online poker I now visit live casinos an average of 4 times a year - including his very own Venetian and Palazzo which I likely would have never visited if it were not for online poker.
"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. That number is bound to worsen as internet gaming dependency grows. The research also shows that over the past ten years internet gambling revenue in Europe has gone up on average 26 to 28 percent. Meanwhile, land-based casino revenue has been flat or even contracted during that same period of time, even though it was expected to increase at five to ten percent per year."
Is he seriously not going to consider the fact that in the past 10 years online gaming and poker were in their earliest stages of existence??? Of course they saw growth - so did everything else you can now do on the internet. They were growing from almost nothing lol.
And of course existing businesses has been flat or have decreased if you look at the last 10 years - did he forget about the big economy bust?
In short, the rise of internet gaming has clearly come at the cost of land-based casinos in Europe.
No - that is not clear at all.
Online gambling makes it possible for bets to be placed by anyone at any time. When gambling is available in every bedroom, every dorm room and every office space, there will be no way to fully determine that each wager has been placed in a rational and consensual manner.
Let's just shut down the internet then so nobody can make purchases of any kind online. And there is also no way to fully determine that each wager made in his casinos has been placed in a rational manner. I have seen some seriously irrational gamblers in his casino throwing away money they obviously can not afford to lose. Should we close the Venetian to prevent that?
The US government has no business controlling people in either situation. We are responsible for our own behavior and decisions - whether we are in our bedroom or in his casino.
"For example, the possibility of underage children finding ways to place online wagers and the possibility of people betting under the influence of drugs or being coerced are all scenarios that can happen when the person is only monitored by their own computer screen.
On the other hand, when a person makes an effort to get dressed, join some friends and head to the local casino for a night of entertainment they must show themselves as adults, and their behavior can be observed and ultimately managed by security and other staff if needed."
And there are also controls that can be put in place to monitor online gambling behaviors - welcome to 2013 sir.
Let’s also focus here on the impact of online gambling on children and young adults.
There are also methods that can be put in place to minimize that. Underage young adults manage to get into his casinos on a regular basis. Also he and other parents need to monitor their children - not the US government.
"To make matters worse, young adults in America are also suffering under nearly a trillion dollars in student loans. To tempt them to solve their financial problems with a click of the mouse is unconscionable.
So, no, online gambling is not a threat to my business.
It’s a threat to our society—a toxin which all good people ought to resist."
People who are in debt and try to resolve their problems by gambling - whether it is online or in his casinos - are making these terrible decisions all on their own. They can play online, go to a casino, buy thousands of dollars worth of lottery tickets - if they want to be stupid we can not stop them and it is not our responsibility to do so.
In closing I will go so far as to say online poker should be far more acceptable than live casino gambling. As already stated it is a game that you can develop strong skills for - you have some control over the outcome unlike in his live casino games. Also a very important point is that a person who can not afford to gamble has the option to play
poker online and win money without ever spending a dime. There are bonus offers, freerolls, special events - that you can enter for no money at all and still enjoy playing. Or if you have a small amount of disposable income available you have the options of playing extremely small stakes. You can start with as little as $10 or $20 and never spend another dime.
Good luck going to play poker in one of his casinos with less than $200.
He is not saying these things because he is stupid enough to believe them - he is saying them because he hopes everyone else is stupid enough to believe him.
