Boycott against Sheldon Adelson Is Ineffective?

Even as a mass of poker players have agreed to avoid playing at the Venetian in Las Vegas between 22 and 26 July, the poker room of the renowned casino is almost full.

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Sheldon Adelson

79 years old Las Vegas Sands Corporation CEO Sheldon Adelson had been quoted condemning online poker in an interview for the Forbes, considering it toxic to society and saying “The plague (that online gaming) could bring to our society is even more far-reaching. The possibility of underage children finding ways to place online wagers and the potential of people betting under the influence of drugs or being coerced are all scenarios that can happen. When gambling is available in every bedroom, every dorm room, and every office space, there will be no way to fully determine that each wager has been placed in a rational and consensual manner.”

He is also mocked for using the “click a mouse lose a house” phrase, while he has built his empire on the losses of people, if in the brick-and-mortar industry. Following the publication of the interview, Adelson has widely become criticised as a hypocrite, who fears the loss of his own profit only with online poker becoming legalised in Nevada.

Several notable poker players have expressed their dismay, including respected poker journalist Nolan Dalla, who called for a boycott on the Venetian in Las Vegas, the flagship of Adelson’s enterprise. According to the call, players would not play at the casino from 22 to 26 July.

“This isn’t a fight about profits. It’s about making a statement. Let’s do whatever we can to create an empty poker room for five straight days. Let’s show Adelson that the poker community will not sit passively and remain silent while he trashes our game and denies us our rights” – Dalla wrote.

The boycott began this Monday but, apparently, it has not affected the traffic of the Venetian much; there are hardly any empty tables in the poker room of the venue.

The Venetian's poker room on Monday, 22 July

Dalla still considers his initiative successful: the outrage in the poker community was immense and he expects Adelson to think twice before making such comments in the future.