As Donald Trump Jnr celebrates being named the 45th president of the US, the online gaming sector is reflecting on possible ramifications for the industry there.
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Source: Michael Vadon
The prospect of a Republican administration at the White House has traditionally been viewed as bad news for America’s fledgling real-money i-gaming sector.
Serial Republican backer Sheldon Adelson, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands, is also a staunch opponent of online gaming stateside - and with Adelson’s massive financial backing comes a likely sympathetic ear for the Adelson agenda.
In recent years, the casino magnate has backed a campaign for the Restoration of America’s Wire Act – or RAWA – which would put a federal roadblock in the way of the state-by-state regulation of i-gaming. So a Republican president, backed by Adelson, would be bad news for i-gaming in the US.
However, Trump’s extraordinary personal wealth has meant that he is the first Republican candidate in living memory who doesn’t need a cent from Adelson. As such, Trump’s victory owes nothing to Adelson. Indeed, Trump was free to affront Adelson’s views on America’s policy on Israel and the two men do not see eye-to-eye on that particular issue.
The upshot? Trump has no declared agenda with regard to online gaming. For the meantime at least, it is business as usual.
Potentially of far greater immediate consequence were the gubernatorial elections that also took place this week, with 12 new (or returning) state governors being named following the November 8 vote.
The only i-gaming state in the dozen, Delaware, saw John Carney elected to replace fellow Democrat and two-termer Jack Markell, who steps down in January. There are no indications that Carney has an anti i-gaming agenda.
The question that remains following this historic presidential election is how a Republican-controlled Congress might react to Adelson’s lobbying, irrespective of Trump’s apparent personal indifference. The future for online gaming in the US is far from certain.
