Adelson Commissions Study on US Online Gambling
Casino king Sheldon Adelson, who is the most vociferous of online gambling opponents, has attracted media attention again because he has commissioned a brand new study on US gambling. Adelson is the chief executive officer of Sands Group, which is among the world’s most powerful gaming companies.
Adelson has commissioned the Tarrance Group to conduct a study of US gambling by surveying more than 2000 people living in Virginia, California, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. The people who agreed to take the survey were requested to give their opinions on a wide range of issues such as the legalization of live gaming, online poker, expansion of casino offerings, and others.
This week, the company issued a memorandum on the results of this survey. The memorandum states: “These are based on telephone interviews with a total of N=2,216 ‘likely’ registered voters throughout these four state. Responses to this survey were gathered during the period between June-October, 2013. The margin of error associated with the sample for each of these studies is + 4.3% in 95 out of 100 cases.”
Regarding the issue of online gambling, the study concluded that 60 percent of the people who took the survey are not in favor of online gaming. In Virginia, the percentage of people opposing the legalization of online gambling was 72 percent; and in California, it was 61 percent. According to the results of the study, 60 percent of the people surveyed favored live casino gaming if the revenue generated is used for the benefit of their state.
Dave Sackett, acting as the representative of the Tarrance Group, issued the memorandum. He noted that the results of the survey “show a universal opposition to any proposal that would legalize Internet gambling or Internet poker.”
The study has already become the center of raging controversy. Some analysts have criticized that it is too subjective. For instance, the company that conducted the survey has not made it clear exactly who was surveyed. Critics have also pointed out that the respondents might have been Republican supporters, who have always been opposed to legalizing online gambling.
One of the flaws of the study is that the memo has not mentioned the questions that were asked to the respondents, as the answer depends a great deal on the way a question is asked. If the survey was created in a way to impact the answers, the findings will have to be discarded.
Besides, it is worth noting that the official website of Tarrance Group admits that it is a “widely respected and successful Republican strategic research and polling firm.” Accordingly, the respondents are bound to Republican supporters and it is well known that the Republican Party is not in favor of legalizing online gambling. The results of the study need not be taken seriously if the respondents were all supporters of the Republican Party.
Besides, Sheldon Adelson is known to have contributed generously to Republican political campaigns. He is also the founder of Stop Internet Gambling, an organization that lobbies against federal level legalization of online gambling.
-
Recent Tips for Real Money Poker Players:
