The split and subsequent neutral public position the AGA has decided to adopt is the result of Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corporation’s vehement opposition and public lobbying against any form of regulated online gaming in the US.
Geoff Freeman, chief executive of the AGA, told the Wall Street Journal that igaming is “an issue that the association cannot lead on” and “one of the things I’ve learned in this industry is we are extraordinarily competent at shooting at one another”.
The AGA’s withdrawal is not completely unexpected, members MGM Resorts and Caesars have been openly in favour or legalising and regulating igaming, Adelson’s LVS has always strongly opposed it and Wynn has not always been clear as to what it might favour.
Freeman has publicly backed igaming regulation in the US since his arrival at the AGA in April 2013 and in December testified to a US House of Representatives subcommittee that regulation was the most sensible way to approach the issue.
Prohibition of online gambling “simply does not work” and “the government cannot put the Internet back in the bottle”, he said.
LVS created the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling, while Caesars and MGM launched the Coalition for Consumer and Online Protection to stop a congressional ban on online gaming and promote the concept of igaming regulation in the US.
source : www.igamingbusiness.com
