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Back and forth we go… :fencing:
MGM, Harrah’s Press Congress for Piece of Online Gaming Action
via Bloomberg.com
MGM Mirage, Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. and other U.S. casino operators are increasing pressure on Congress to consider legalizing online gambling — at the same time lawmakers are seeking to tighten criminal penalties for it.
The companies are trying to take advantage of a congressional backlash against gambling triggered by the Jack Abramoff scandal, involving his lobbying on behalf of Indian casinos. The casinos say the best way to control the $12 billion Internet betting business — which is based overseas while drawing more than half its revenue from the U.S — is to legalize, regulate and tax it.
“The argument the industry is making is, if it is being done offshore, why not bring it in to the U.S. so it can be regulated?” says Senator John Ensign, a Nevada Republican who has discussed the issue with representatives of Las Vegas-based Harrah’s, the world’s largest casino owner. “It doesn’t look like you can ban it.”
The companies, which according to Federal Election Commission records have so far contributed more than $900,000 to congressional candidates in this fall’s elections, are pushing lawmakers to take a first step toward legalization by creating a federal commission to study it. Ensign and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, say the proposal has a chance of clearing the Senate this year.
full article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=a1jqGTCjkoB0&refer=top_world_news
Regards,
Nice find. Thanks Mark.
Ah, the double-edged sword. On one hand, we don’t want prohibition since it could criminalize our industry. On the other hand, straight up legalizing it puts the big boys into the industry, squeezing the online players out and potentially ending the need for affiliates.
At least they are only proposing a commission to study the issue. That could take a couple of years to do.
A skeptical or paranoid observer might see the current prohibition efforts as a way to decimate the competition before legalization opens the doors for the big boys.
Yes, and you can bet that the lobbyist for those land base casinos has in the past, currently is, and will continue to be filling the pockets of those that will make the decisions.
If they do make it into the online gambling arena then I hope they have learned the lessons from other land based gambling companies who have ventured into online. The majority of them have been pretty ordinary in my opinion and appear to have underestimated how different online is to land based gambling.
I’d be happy to see it happen.
The quicker that online gambling is accetped as mainstream the better – and having US-based businesses runnning it would ensure the deathknell for meddling politicians.
While offline casinos may take sometime to adjust to what is required online – I think that their general gambling savvy and customer care knowhow would be a big boost to the industry.
sigh.gifDoes anyone care to guess if they will offer similar affiliate programs?
FreePokerLeague wrote:Does anyone care to guess if they will offer similar affiliate programs?I’d guess yes – because web businesses have proven that the affiliate method works as a way of getting your particular business mentioned in 1000’s of site around the globe.
Any casino that thinks they’ll immediately attract a share of the market just because they’ve got a landbased presence is not going t obe a casino that succeeds online.
But – that’s just my guess.
sigh.gifIf they do get in then this rat race would have a new beginning, huh?
I think if they got in, US business for the offshore casinos will take a drop, mostly for aquiring new players. Everyone in the US knows Vegas and I think the level of trust would go way up. People would no longer have to fear if they will get their winnings or not because at least its in their own country and they can do something about it.
I would hope if this happens, they will use affiliates….
They will almost certainly have affiliate programs since it will be just as competitive between all of the land-based vegas casinos online as it is on-strip, so any competitive advantage to be gained would seemingly be pursued. The worry I have is how much they will squeeze affiliates. I can envision an Amazon scenario where you get 2% of the winnings for the first month of a player, or worse yet a $20 CPA or something. Not sure exactly why I think that land-based casinos would offer so little to the affiliate community, but it has something to do with the name recognition that MGM, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, Binions have already established. But then there is the other side of the coin where the smaller casinos can offer more and take more of the online business, putting the pressure on the bigger guys to offer the same.
Wouldn’t this be a good outcome:
Laws are passed legalizing not banning online gambling while regulating it to only those who have a gaming permit.Portals owners and the advertising market are free to advertise these “legal” online casinos without fear of someone kicking in your door or worry that your money might dry up any second.
Players can rest assured that they are playing at the same place they went to in Vegas on the honeymoon, not on some crooks server in God knows what country, bound by no laws, free to do as they please.
Casinos can stop bleeding cash by the gallon.
Gov. can collect taxes.
