Casino Magnate Says Skill Factor In Poker A 'Bunch of Baloney'

One would think Las Vegas Sands Corporation CEO Sheldon Gary Adelson would have an in depth knowledge of gambling, considering he built his $27 billion fortune on the back of brick-and-mortar casinos.
Therefore, it may have come as quite a surprise to find the 79 year old denigrating online poker to an unskillful gambling game and a menace to society, if not for the fact that Adelson is most likely trying to protect his casino empire from online competition.
In his latest tirade against online gambling, which he described as a “train wreck,”  and “a cancer waiting to happen,” Sheldon Adelson specifically targeted online poker, saying it was no different than any other gambling game, explaining:
“That skill base is, in my opinion, just a bunch of baloney. To get a card is not skill base. I know people say it is skill based, but it’s just so they can categorize it in a certain segment.”
Sheldon Adelson main point of attack against online gambling is his opinion that it is highly addictive, and apparently that is no more truer than in the case of online poker. As he explains:
“Look, I’m a father, grandfather. I do not want my children – I’m a veteran of the Korean War. I do not want my children to have the opportunity to become addicted to gaming. And poker, in my opinion, would become one of the most addictive games. People do not get addicted to necessarily playing blackjack. They get addicted for the game.”
Continuing to preach from his pulpit, the casino gambling mogul went on to expound further his concerns for the well-being of the youth, especially those with impulse control issues, stating:
“..a kid that is either underage or of age with student loans..to get pressured by peers to go and gamble while they are drunk or doing drugs..no land-based casino would let somebody that’s out of control of themselves sit and gamble.”
Despite his latest rant against online gambling, the Las Vegas Sands CEO didn’t present any evidence to support his claims, and at the same time doesn’t seem to have any issues with other potential sources of problems for people with impulse control issues, such as online stock trading or even shopping.
Ultimately, though, Sheldon Adelson opposition to online gambling would be more understandable if he admitted it was more about money and business, than his benevolent attitude to society in general.