Bwin.party's Haas Says AGA Betrayed US iPoker Industry

Although the American Gaming Association (AGA) is set up to promote and educate people as to the beneficial role commercial gambling plays in communities across the USA, when it comes to online gambling the premier lobbying group is accused of betraying the interests of those its supposed to represent, according to bwin.party Poker Director Jeffrey Haas.
Up until 6 months ago, the AGA had come out in favour of online gambling and even made a unambigious warning to Congress that “online gaming is here to stay. The government.. must adapt to consumers or be left in their wake.”
However, sustained pressure from Las Vegas Sands Corporation owner Sheldon Adelson, and then Steve Wynn is believed to have caused the sudden about turn in the AGA’s stance towards online gambling, with the organization apparently concerned infighting would have threatened the cohesiveness of the group. As a result, the AGA subsequently withdrew its support for online gambling, leading Bwin.party’s Haas to exclaim recently that “we’ve been betrayed by the AGA.. taking no position is the cheap and easy way out.”
Since its apparent U-turn, the AGA’s opinions have now taken a back seat to those of Adelson, and addressing the group’s concern related to the need to protect society’s most vulnerable members from online gambling, Haas explained:
“If disruption and innovation are so important – so critical to continued success why is the Internet so dangerous? If they were really concerned as they say, they would work with the operators and regulators to bring about more controls.”
In addition to expressing “disappointment” with the AGA, Haas said that in spite of being the dominant online operator in New Jersey, he was also disappointed with the size of its online gambling market, which he had hoped would have been at least three to four times its present size.
Outlining what needs to be done in order to give New Jersey’s iGaming industry a boost, Haas mentioned everything from the actual software used, to the signup process, marketing, and customer service, stating:
“We need to do a better job in every area. We need to be better at everything. Every step needs to improve by 1%-4%.”