Evidence that Sheldon Adelson supported online poker

Further proof has emerged which suggests that online poker's biggest enemy has hypocritical motives against the game.

A 2001 article in the Las Vegas Sun has recently been doing the rounds in the poker community, which provides evidence that Sheldon Adelson was once a keen supporter of online poker. 

"I applaud the gaming authorities in their efforts, our hat will be in that ring".

These were the words of the billionaire Las Vegas Sands CEO back in 2001, when the USA was on the brink of legalising online gambling for the first time.

Thirteen years on and Adleson is perhaps online poker's biggest enemy. His Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling has released a series of videos presenting online poker as a hazard to children and a gateway for terrorism. 

Mixed motives?

The fact that Adelson is the owner of a large land-based casino chain, whose business would arguably be negatively impacted by online gambling in the US, has led most members of the poker community to suggest his motives for wanting to ban online gambling are strictly financial. This recently unearthed evidence appears to agree with that. 

In fact Adelson went on to say in the article that he wanted to make sure online gambling was regulated by his company for reasons of social responsibility:

"If this is going to happen, we want people who know what they're doing controlling it. This keeps the Nevada regulatory climate on the leading edge. I applaud the gaming authorities in their efforts."

Do you think Sheldon Adelson could have possibly changed his mind on online gambling in the last 13 years? Do you think this is damning evidence against his motives? Do you think he Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling could have a negative influence on poker outside of the US? Let us know in the comments box.