Posted by DailyNews on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 ? Leave a Comment?
Last week at an Internet gambling conference, panelists, three of whom are industry executives in Las Vegas, added their input to the increasing number of those advocating the legalization of Internet gambling in the United States.
The iGambing North America Conference was a two day long event and was attended by more than 300 people. Panelists that attended the event made it very clear that they are all for the legalization and regulation of Internet gambling in the US and agree that it will enhance their existing brick-and-mortar casinos.
The three industry execs on the panel stated on day one of the conference that they feel a change in the current laws on Internet gambling would enable them to reach new customers and expand their current operations; much like the addition of Indian reservation casinos, New Jersey casinos and riverboat casinos have helped the Las Vegas market grow.
This statement comes at a time when the debate over whether or not to regulate, tax and legalize Internet gambling is a hot topic; some believe it is immoral to do so, others believe that in a suffering economy our country could only benefit from such legislation. There are also those that believe that by legalizing Internet gambling, it will hurt the current land-based casino market; however, Jan Jones of Caesars Entertainment, Doug Dalton of Bellagia, and Art Manteris of Station Casinos say that Internet gambling will increase the current market and give more opportunities for brick-and-mortar casinos. Senior VP of communications and government relations at Caesars stated:
The average gaming customer is around 50 years old. The upcoming generation of gambler ? X and Y generation ? makes all of their decisions on the Internet. They meet, they congregate, they make entertainment choices and I believe if we don?t have a significant presence, there is the likelihood that they will make other entertainment choices that are not gambling choices.
Mark Tenner, president of gaming consultant Concept Development Group stated that there are presently over 65 million people playing poker on the Internet in online casinos, compared to a little over a decade ago only about a quarter of a million were playing online. With statistics like that, it is understandable why the United States would want to tap the market.
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