A couple of land-based casinos’ CEOs told Bloomberg TV that they have nothing against online poker regulation.
If online poker is quite often pointed out as being a threat to land-based casinos, a couple of international casino groups CEOs do not agree totally with this statement. “Online poker is essential to my company and I think that we should be able to offer this service to American citizens”, said Garry, CEO of Caesars Entertainment. Keith Smith, CEO of Boyd Gaming tends to agree with him. “It can only allow us to widen our business model and to popularize our brands amongst the new generations”. According to Jim Murren, CEO of MGM Resorts International, “online poker will compete with some of the traditional land-based and casinos. But we have nonetheless decided to invest in online poker because our MGB, Aria and Bellagio brands are already well known. We have entered a partnership with bwin-PartyPoker, the leading operator in online poker, and I am sure we are going to do well together”. Last but not least, Steve Wynn, CEO of Wyn Resorts Ltd said that he could not ignore online poker completely. “My colleagues have been talking about Internet for quite a while now. I have troubles seeing this opportunity for what it is. But I have set my doubts aside. You have to be rational. We can’t keep on ignoring Internet totally. It’s not because you think it’s obscure that you can’t jump into it and contribute”.
Source - Bloomberg TV
