Published on May 8, 2014 by Susan Torres

Las Vegas Sands multi-billionaire owner Sheldon Adelson has thrown millions of greenbacks into the campaigns of political leaders around the country and is now using the ability he has built up within the system to steer the rustic towards making Internet gambling illegal on a federal level.

Not only has Adelson and his money done an exquisite job to this point at stopping the proliferation of online gambling at the state level, his ultimate goal may be to create a federal law that absolutely prohibits the entertainment.

One state Adelson's scary amount of power may well be revealed first is in Pennsylvania. A study was ordered last year by the state and was released on Wednesday. It studied the long run viability of online gaming within the state and concluded Pennsylvania could reap $307 million in tax revenue annually.

This projected tax revenue may well be enough to excite Pennsylvania law-makers into action, however there's a catch. Adelson's Las Vegas Sands company has a casino in Pennsylvania, which have been creating tax revenue for the state, and was expanding, because it opened its doors in 2009. The lobbying money Adelson has used to profit that casino already has created close relationships with lawmakers within the state, as a way to only further help his new crusade - to forestall Internet gambling.

With such clear momentum pointing towards legalization in Pennsylvania, any turn around or stoppage of the momentum can be directly attributed to the efforts of Adelson and can go against the people's apparent desires, in addition to the state's need for tax revenue.

This situation has already bared itself in Florida, where pro-poker enthusiasts assumed the sport can be legal and taxed within the state within a pair years, post UIGEA. All efforts, however, have looked as if it would die and not using a noise within the media - ever since Adelson's Sands decided it desired to build a mega-casino in Miami.

Coincidence? Well, probably not.

"It just takes some logical thinking while analyzing the numbers," in step with Mark Lewis, Florida gaming analyst.

Governor Rick Scott is up for reelection in 2014 and has received thousands and thousands of greenbacks from Adelson (contributed from Adelson to Scott's various political committees). As an indication of support by Scott, he sent out a letter to law-makers in April emphasizing the significance of keeping internet gambling from becoming legal within the state.

Adelson is using the 'hurts children and families' stance to defend his position, and thus every letter from governors to law-makers, including the only Scott sent, emphasizes that stance.

"Although that's the stance he makes to the public, his obvious desire is to offer protection to his casinos on land," Lewis said. Lewis points out that during places just like the UK, where online gambling is regulated, it's been studied and proven that regulations provide more protections for youngsters and problem gamblers than prohibition.

"If he really cared about families and kids and the way gambling online could ruin their lives, than he would wish regulations to allow them to be protected," Lewis suggested.

"One must simply take a look at where Adelson throws his money and follow the actions of the political leaders he backs to know that Adelson is the only answerable for Internet gambling's destiny," Lewis said, "the politicians are simply his puppets."

Read More... [Source: Gambling News]