When you can’t stop a coming wave of trends, should you ride it out or fight it? Smart people adapt and adjust. During my vending industry days, we confronted the tobacco downturn by retooling our program. Today’s anti-smoking environment would force further adaptation.
As the Internet has overtaken society, I’m more pro than con, but cyberspace also has a darker side. Unfortunately, for too many under-35 and a smaller older group, extended time away from their devices may cause withdrawal symptoms.
Even some couples now relate online. The Pew Research Center claims 25% of couples text each other at home. Is conversation dead?
Internet gaming faces similar concerns today, including underage/problem gamblers, black market operators and money laundering, as in November 1997 at the first Washington D.C. online gaming conference. Two national surveys, taken in January, reveal public reaction depends on presentation.
The Coalition for Consumer and Online Protections (C4COP), a gaming advocacy group, surveyed 1,000 voters. 75% favored each state’s authority to manage its own online gaming; 57% opposed a federal ban, fearing the infiltration of unregulated foreign black markets.
Generic Internet gaming questions drew different results. Of 1,000 voters, 36% of adults approve; 47% disapprove and 17% are unsure.
Three states now operate Internet gaming. Unlike Nevada‘s and Delaware‘s poker-only programs, the New Jersey model permits multiple games if online operators partner with an Atlantic City casino. Profits can then offset any land-based gaming losses. Successful advanced technological resolutions have motivated gaming proposals from several state government and casino officials.
To expand opportunities, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed the first agreement for interstate online gaming in late February. The Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement may provide the poker framework other states need and offer larger player jackpots. An operational infrastructure must be developed before a start date.
Although New Jersey revenues have steadily improved during the first three months, the $9.5 million January total-$2 million over December-still falls short of Governor Chris Christie’s early projections. Increased cell phone usage for betting could accelerate earnings. The Borgata ( #1), Caesars, Tropicana, Trump Plaza and the Taj Mahal now provide Internet gaming on mobile devices.
Not everyone is a supporter. In Las Vegas, the clash of the titans pits Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International and others against Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn. Adelson vows to spend any amount to fight online poker on “moral grounds.”
Adelson’s Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling has drafted the Internet Gambling Control Act to amend the 1961 U.S. Wire Act banning interstate gambling via communication wires. Attaching Internet gaming language would reverse the Department of Justice’s 2011 ruling that permitted online poker. Delays would let Congress and the public evaluate the legislation for potential money laundering, fraud, terrorism financing, cyber-crimes and underage gambling solutions, plus give the FBI two years for its analysis.
Nevada’s two senators agree… to a point. Republican Dean Heller and Democrat Harry Reid favor restoring the Wire Act, but with changes to benefit Nevada. Viewing poker as skill over chance, their version exempts online poker. Heller claims legalizing general online gaming would be “the devastation for bricks and mortar casinos” in Nevada, resulting in the “final nail” for healthy businesses.
Future Internet gaming is moving ahead. American Gaming Association (AGA) CEO Geoff Freeman is supporting federal “sensible online gaming regulations” that defer to states’ decisions for ideal operation.
However, unexpected setbacks can occur. In New Jersey, Christie’s “scandal” over bridge lane closures into New York City last year for political payback has affected the momentum of his five-year Atlantic City transformation.
No proof of his involvement in any wrongdoing has surfaced against him after two months, but the unprofessional media continues its rant. The New York Times has retracted multiple inaccurate headlines/stories. The top evening anchor at MSNBC, NBC’s 24-hour cable news channel, acknowledged her daily “obsession“ with Christie. Both have shredded their journalism credentials to rehash the story without evidence against him. I will only update anything new.
This matters to me as a New Jersey resident. Christie and Atlantic City’s new Mayor Guardian don’t need distractions as they build stability. Too many jobs and lives depend on it.
