There are two prominent opponents to online gambling in the US: Blanche Lincoln and Sheldon Adelson
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Blanche Lincoln The 59-year-old former Arkansas Senator is one of the most vehement online gambling critics in America. In a recent speech Lincoln claimed that 370,000 underage people gamble every week. It's worth noting that Lincoln made no reference as to where she found that figure. After being voted out of congress Lincoln also formed a lobbying group called the 'Lincoln Policy Group' that campaigns to keep online gambling illegal.
Sheldon Adelson "Click your mouse and loose your house" was the famous quip from America's loudest anti-online gambling voice. Sheldon Adelson has said that it is his 'moral obligation' to keep online gambling illegal in America. On the face of it, that may seem like a noble stance from someone who is concerned about the social implications of gambling. However, Adelson's stance quickly loses credibility when you consider that he made his vast wealth from the gambling industry.
Adelson is the CEO of Las Vegas Sands and would directly suffer if online gambling were to be legalized in Nevada. Blanche Lincoln's lobbying group has so far received $760,000 in donations from Sheldon Adelson. Adelson also has connections to President Trump donating over  £100 million to Republican Party candidates in the 2018 midterm elections and could hold significant sway in gambling legislation in the US.
Legalization of on online gambling could into Adelson's profits and his abilities to support Trump and the other Republicans he's backed.
Online gambling's economic benefits
Blanche Lincoln: Sheldon Adelson's paid mouthpiece or altruistic opponent to gambling? You decide
To understand the huge economic benefits online gambling could deliver to the US, let's take a look at how it's fared in the UK where it's completely legal.
In the UK, the gross gambling yield last year was just under $18 billion, which is almost half of the USA's gambling revenues. That's an impressive number when you consider that the population of the UK is five times smaller than the US..
Yet the UK's gambling revenues are massive in comparison, and that's due largely to sports betting and online gambling. All forms of online gambling are legal in the United Kingdom and as such, the industry is booming contributing a huge amount of revenue that is, in turn, invested in vital public services such as hospitals, schools and transport. Plus, gambling operators also help tackle the issue of problem gambling. Indeed, all operators are obliged to donate a percentage of their turnover to British gambling charities.
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