Interview with an Icon
You don’t always have to agree with people that have more industry experience but you should always listen. Sheldon Adelson is one of the richest men in the world and made his fortune as a visionary for the brick and mortar casino. Along with Steve Wynn, Adelson brought the casino business into the 21st century and his forward thinking has made Las Vegas Sands one of the world’s largest casino corporations.
Last week he had some strong comments about viability of online gambling, speaking out against it as a societal pariah. Adelson openly shared major concerns about the addictive nature of the hobby compared to the more traditional casino experience. I don’t profess to be a psychologist, I haven’t done in depth studies but I categorically disagree with Adelson. Our government’s job isn’t to protect us from ourselves, it should be to find sustainable taxable revenue streams directly responsible for job growth creation. He clearly has a business model to protect as well so to dismiss that as potential subtext for his opinions is naive. Regardless of where you stand on this particular issue (in agreement with me or the casino giant), the interview with Adelson that aired on Bloomberg TV is worth watching.
