ZZZ - GMG - VEGAS INC 2011-2014

In business politics travel Adelson deputy rails against online gaming Allegiant air will sell pain relievers during flights By Karoun Demirjian staff writer WASHINGTON — Congress got a taste of what Sheldon Adelson's new campaign against Internet gambling may look like when one of the Las Vegas Sands CEO's top deputies appeared before members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to call for a clampdown on online betting. "This is our Joe Camel moment. ... It could very well be the demise of our industry," Las Vegas Sands Vice President of Government Affairs Andrew Abboud told the panel, calling on lawmakers to reinstate an understanding of the Wire Act that would bar financial transactions for gaming online. "We just think turning every device into a casino takes gambling too far." But members of the committee — even some of those predisposed to agree with Abboud's concerns — were not about to give Abboud the chance to occupy the moral high ground. "In the Venetian at the sports book, you can wager from anywhere in Nevada," Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, said, pointing out a Sands advertising campaign for mobile betting. "What you're advertising here is the same thing that we're talking about." Barton is the author of the only bill pending in Congress to legalize online poker only — a crucial distinction, he says, because "poker is a game of skill." In one exchange, Abboud seemed to suggest he understood — and even agreed with — that point of view. "It's fine if people want to play poker online ... but it's about this: Slot machines, 'Iron Man, kiddie comics — this stuff is not what we're about," Abboud said. "That's where the industry is going to go." One reason, Abboud suggested, is because "poker is not a sustainable market" by itself. Even if some site operators were able to stick to a poker-only model, he argued, the temptation to pass state laws to get into other forms of online gambling, as well as avenues open to nefarious site operators to push boundaries if gaming is legalized, would create a system too difficult to regulate and control. "The thought of a 50-state solution is scary. ... When the Wire Act was overturned, that's not the day the Internet became safe," Abboud said. "Don't make a race to the bottom of the marketplace." But other panelists charged Abboud's argument was tantamount to asking Congress to bury its collective head in the sand. "This misguided approach would only serve to harm the most vulnerable populations that regulation would be trying to protect," said John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance. He noted that in Nevada, there has not been a single reported incident of underage gambling since the state legalized poker online. "Fixing the Wire Act does nothing to change the desire to game," said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. "We have a moral and a business incentive for the industry to do this in its proper regulated manner." By Richard N. Velotta senior staff writer Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air will be the first airline to offer over-thecounter medications on flights. The company announced that it would sell UrgentRx flavored powder medications during flights. Denverbased UrgentRx offers Headache Relief to Go, Heartburn Relief to Go, Upset Stomach Relief to Go, Ache & Pain Relief to Go, Allergy Attack Relief to Go and Critical Care Aspirin to Go. The powders can be taken without water. Packets are $2 each. "Providing travelers with easy-totake over-the-counter relief of common discomforts is an easy way to make travel more comfortable, which is why we are excited to welcome the UrgentRx product on-board," said Allegiant President and Chief Operating Officer Andrew Levy. LasVegassUn.com named "Best Website in Class" by the Nevada Press Association 2013. 10 20140106_VI10_F.indd 10 | 6 JANUARY 2014 | 1/2/14 2:40:20 PM

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