Sheldon Adelson continues pouring Money into Anti-Online Gaming Campaign

Sheldon Adelson once pledged to spend whatever it takes to stop internet gaming. And it certainly looks like he is living up to these words by pouring millions into the coffers of U.S. politicians and lobbyists.

As many know, Adelson is a huge er of Republican Presidential candidates, having dumped over $90 million into the 2012 race. But the Washington Post recently showed that his contributions to state-level politicians have also been increasing – all in an effort to promote his agenda and get more prominent officials against online gaming.

For example, he’s given hundreds of thousands of dollars to political committees that Florida Gov. Rick Scott. He dumped another $2 million into the Republican Governors Association in 2012, following this up with a $1 million donation last year. And the Las Vegas Sands CEO’s expenditures definitely seem to be working in his favor.

Just last month, Scott sent a letter to Congress asking them to strongly consider banning internet gaming at the state level. If they don’t heed his words, Scott claims that online casino games will “invade the homes of every American family, and be piped in to our dens, living rooms, workplaces and even our kids bedrooms and dorm rooms.” This was certainly damaging to the online gaming industry, which sees Florida and their 19.3 million people as a very lucrative market.

Scott isn’t the only one in Adelson’s pocket as he’s won favor from several other important political figures, thanks to his $39 billion-dollar fortune. Here’s an excerpt from the Post that perfectly paints the picture:

In recent months, he hired two well-connected California Democrats — former state House speaker Fabian Núñez and longtime party strategist Chris Lehane — as he opposes a bill in Sacramento that would legalize Internet gambling. They other prominent Democrats on Adelson’s payroll, including former senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and former Denver mayor Wellington Webb.

Luckily, there is plenty of on the other side of the fence. Caesars’ Gary Loveman and MGM’s Jim Murren are two of the key figures who’ve made strong efforts to spread online gaming. They back the Coalition for Consumer and Online Protection, and have managed to obtain the services of former Republican lawmakers Mary Bono and Mike Oxley to battle against Adelson’s movement.

As of now, both sides seem to be stuck in a stalemate. But with California and Illinois heavily considering online gaming, we’ll soon have an opportunity to see which side is winning the battle.