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"They've put a stick in the wasp nest to see what comes out."
The news this week that the major U.S. land gambling group Las Vegas Sands is to work with Cantor Gaming in entering the UK and possibly European online gambling market (see previous InfoPowa report) has not been welcomed by local industry, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Torbjorn Ihre, the head of public affairs at the European Betting Association, said: "It's hypocrisy and discrimination. These two words fit. This proves that the U.S. being open to competition is a false claim."
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The move into Europe comes just a few months after the U.S. launched a major crackdown on internet gambling. British executives were arrested and the US Senate outlawed banks from accepting online wagers. Las Vegas Sands is specifically targeting the UK market.
One of the as yet unnamed Las Vegas Sands gambling site's potential rivals, Sportingbet, said it doubted the seriousness of Las Vegas Sands' UK plans. Andrew McIver, the chief executive, said: "They've put a stick in the wasp nest to see what comes out. They want to see what happens who comes to them and whether others will follow."
He said he was not worried by such a big name entering the market. "Not at all. I wish them all the best. They are a very good company, but their strength is offline gambling not the internet. It will take them a few years to get going."
Las Vegas Sands said that the website, which would not accept U.S. customers, would feature the companies' brands, including The Venetian, Sands, Palazzo and Paiza. The new site will fall under the licensing requirements of the Channel Island of Alderney.
Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, Dennis Neilander said Monday he was aware the companies had been discussing an online gambling arrangement. Operating and collecting revenues from an online casino is not an issue, he said, as long as the two companies report the dealings to gaming regulators.
"When the system is set up, we'll test it to make sure that they can't accept wagers from U.S. citizens," Neilander said. "That's the main concern."
The Telegraph points out that Las Vegas Sands is not the first land casino company to explore online gaming. From 2001 to 2003, MGM Mirage ran an online gambling site licensed on the Isle of Man. At the time, company executives said the involvement in the Web site, which didn't accept wagers from U.S. citizens, was a way of proving online gambling could be regulated.
MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman later said the company ended the venture "because it wasn't a sustainable business model" without the participation of American gamblers.
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