This is spot on. The "word on the street" among lawyers I knew when the UIGEA[1] was passed in 2006 (which paved the way for black Friday[2]) was that Sheldon

This is spot on. The "word on the street" among lawyers I knew when the UIGEA[1] was passed in 2006 (which paved the way for black Friday[2]) was that Sheldon Adelson & the Vegas Lobby had pushed hard for this. The long-term aim, in their opinions, was to capture the online gambling market on a state-by-state basis via regulatory capture, because they had already missed the boat and were being out-competed by Pokerstars et al. It's no surprise that the regulations in e.g. New Jersey require a "partnership" with a land-based casino. edit: also, I should note that Vegas probably shot themselves in the foot doing this (at least short-term). Online gambling brought a surge of business to Vegas, and though the recession had a lot to do with it, the banning of online poker definitely hurt them a lot. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unlawful_Internet_Gambling_Enforcement_Act_of_2006 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unlawful_Internet_Gambling_Enf... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Scheinberg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Scheinberg