Admittedly, during the opening session of the iGaming North America Conference at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Wednesday, Las Vegas Sands Vice President Andy Aberwood was in unfavorable territory.
Aberwood has been at the forefront of Las Vegas Sands' war over the past few months against legalizing internet gaming. Aberwood has called for a federal ban on internet gaming, and has organized a coalition to fight legislation in favor of playing online games on a state-by-state basis.
As he sits on stage for 45 minutes to discuss the matter with Caesars Interactive Entertainment CEO Mitch Garber, Abbywood looked like Daniel in a lion's den, said Steve Lipscomb, the debate host who founded the World Poker Tour.
"Our position is clear and specific," Abboud said, "and we're not fans of online gaming."
He said the federal wire law, which banned online wearing, should be reinstated.
But Aberwood made remarks that seemed to throw an olive branch to the audience, saying that if there was any basis for supporting the legalization of online poker, Congress should pass an Internet poker bill supported by Republican Joe Barton.
"Polls after our poll show that the American public doesn't like this," Abboud said.
Garber's company, an affiliate of Caesars Entertainment, said Aberwood's position on the Barton bill was different from that of her boss, Sheldon Adelson, chairman of Las Vegas Sands.
"Unfortunately, your position is not Sheldon's consistent position of 'iGaming is bad, and I'm going to spend as much money as I need to get it done,'" Garber said.
He also disagreed with the poll results cited by Aberwood that Las Vegas Sands bought and paid for the poll in the same way that tobacco companies paid for it decades ago, which showed that cigarettes do not cause cancer.
"I don't think there's any controversy (about online games)," Garber said, "and I bet people are free to choose more."
Ten states are considering potential legislation to expand or legalize internet game forms.
Garber said Adelson is deeply thoughtful about the issue. He said companies like Caesars Interactive, Ultimate Gaming, 888 Holdings and others have received strict licenses and are in compliance with strict regulations set by the state gaming authority.
"I've been doing this for 20 years," Garber said, "and you're hypocritical not to take the time to ask questions about what we're doing."
Aberwood said Caesars isn't worried about Las Vegas Sands. He said illegal offshore online game companies still used by U.S. gamblers are taking business away from legal game operations and traditional offline casinos.
"I don't want this to be Las Vegas Sands vs Caesars," Abbywood said. "But we need to shut down illegal operators. I don't deny your company is committed. But you put your buildings in danger if something happens."
He also said it was unfair to single out Adelson for spending money on the matter. Hedge fund billionaire George Soros is an investor in Caesars Growth Partners, which is overseen by Garber. 바다이야기
"We have no position to compromise," said Aberwood, "everyone has facts and money. I have Sheldon and Mitch has George Soros. Money is on both sides."
Caesars and other casino companies have created their own associations to support Internet gambling.
Mr. Garber said the technology used to run Caesars' internet games is more sophisticated than human interaction inside conventional casinos. He said Caesars can identify anyone who logs into a site, track every dollar paid, and track play history.
Garber said, "I have no idea where the money is coming from at the Macau casino."
Abboud appealed to iGaming's audience, saying that small casinos and Indian casinos would "go down" if online gaming spread across the U.S.
"There's no reason to worry about Mitch's company, which is well-intentioned," Aberwood said, "and I worry about bad actors."
Garber said Caesars is catering to "the next generation of casino customers" through online gaming.
"It's proven to be effective for us," Garber said.
