Matthew Miller On Digital Entertainment Published: 2005-12-30
The Big Trend
The debate over online gambling will intensify. Worldwide online gambling revenue topped $10 billion in 2005, with at least 80% of those bets placed in the U.S. The problem, of course, is that online gambling is illegal in the U.S. Though U.S. laws go largely unenforced, they have forced big online casino providers to list on the London Stock Exchange--as SportingBet, PartyGaming and BetOnSports.com have done and operate from shadowy tax-havens like Costa Rica and Gibraltar, effectively daring U.S. officials to stop them. Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl is leading a charge to stomp out Internet betting parlors once and for all, but the pro-online casino lobby is equally strong.
The Unconventional Wisdom
Las Vegas casino companies will lead the charge for legalizing online betting. Some say companies like MGM Mirage (nyse: MGG - news - people ) and Harrah’s Entertainment will steer clear of Internet betting to protect their gaming licenses. Not so. They have a lot to gain--and lose--in this battle. If online gaming is legalized, casino moguls like Steve Wynn (Wynn Resorts (nasdaq: WYNN - news - people )), Terri Lanni (MGM Mirage (nyse: MGM - news - people )) and Sheldon Adelson (Las Vegas Sands (nyse: LVS - news - people )) will be able to tap their world-famous brands--and customer databases--to drive up revenue very quickly. If they are left on the sidelines, more and more people could forgo splurgy weekend-gambling jaunts to Sin City for steadier betting online. Las Vegas casino companies will lead the charge for legalizing online betting.
The Misplaced Assumption
That online gambling will continue to be a shady business. The reality is that most online casino operators are practically begging Congress to regulate--and tax--their operations. That will let them tap the expansive poker and sports-betting markets without fear of being shut down. Another misplaced assumption is that online gaming is a fad. This is certainly not the case. Each day more hands of poker are played in cyberspace than in all of the world’s casinos combined. And American consumers are spending about 20 times more on gambling than they spend downloading music, and ten times more than online porn.
The Watch List
-- Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl: The man leading a charge to stomp out Internet betting parlors once and for all, citing moral and addictive reasons why the industry should be stopped.
-- SportingBet : Company Chief Executive Officer Nigel Payne is one of the public faces of online gambling, lobbying to anyone who will listen about the pros of regulating the industry. The outfit runs ParadisePoker.com, another popular poker site.
-- PartyGaming: Owns PartyPoker.com, one of the world’s most popular poker sites. Despite a booming market and creating four new billionaires with its public offering in June, the company’s stock has dropped 13% since.
-- MGM Mirage: Chief Terry Lanni recently said that if online gambling was legalized, MGM Mirage would quickly double its $6 billion in revenue. That’s saying a lot for a company that owns some of the world’s biggest casinos, including the Bellagio, MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay.
-- Harrah’s Entertainment: Known for emphasizing technology and having taking advantage of a massive database of players, Harrah’s would do very well if regulations were passed.
-- Las Vegas Sands: Owner Sheldon Adelson has most of his attention focused on Chinese gambling mecca Macau, where he is partnering with other hotel companies to create the Cotai Strip, China’s version of Sin City. Given the chance, Adelson will certainly play over the Internet.
-- Wynn Resorts: Like Adelson, Wynn is mostly focused on Macau. But Las Vegas’ most recognizable mogul won’t pass up a chance to operate online.
The Bold Prediction
Internet gambling will be regulated by 2007 at latest. Lawmakers will be forced to take morality out of the online-gambling debate and license, regulate and tax the industry--as they have with vices like land-based gambling, alcohol, cigarettes and pornography. Everyone wins: Online casino companies will grow, land-based casino giants will tap these markets and the government will see additional tax revenue.
Fans dealt bad hand in '05 Published: 2005-12-30
No NHL, lots of poker, too much gab
Dec. 30, 2005. 01:00 AM
CHRIS ZELKOVICH
The sports media world will remember 2005 for many things, most of them bad.
It was a year that started with the cancellation of the Canadian sports world's version of mother's milk: the NHL season. That led to the emergence of poker on sports channels, a development that produced more pasty-faced, out-of-shape performers than classic curling broadcasts.
Despite this blow to sanity, the sports world survived and by the end of the year everybody was basking in the warm glow provided by vastly improved ratings. The CFL, Blue Jays and NHL all enjoyed big TV audiences in 2005.
As for the Toronto Raptors and the NBA, they can only hope for ratings as big as poker's.
There was plenty to celebrate and plenty to regret in the annual Good, Bad and Ugly recap.
2005, THE GOOD: How much impact the arrival of satellite radio will have on the sports world isn't known yet, but there's no doubt it adds one thing all sports fans want: choice. As for regular sports radio, a little competition never hurt anybody. ... Another welcome newcomer was Goltv, at least for those who can't get enough soccer. ... Toronto product Dan Shulman continued his rapid rise at ESPN and was even recognized by Sports Illustrated as one of the best announcers in the business. ... Best move: after the CBC couldn't re-sign Glenn Healy and then laid off Chris Cuthbert, TSN wasted no time in hiring two of the most competent guys in the business. Best move, part II: Martine Gaillard, buried in an ill-fitting reporter's job at The Score, found new life at Rogers Sportsnet. ... High-definition television, along with the CableCam, put CBC's Grey Cup coverage at the top of the list. ... After months of turmoil, peace returned to the curling world when the misguided Canadian Curling Association put things back to the way they were. ... Sportsnetnews continued to go beyond the 30-minutes-of-highlights model and explore some intriguing and important issues. ... While ABC got all teary-eyed saying goodbye to Monday Night Football, it overlooked the fact the show has been living off the memory of Howard and Dandy Don for about 20 years.
2005, THE BAD: Worst economic calculation: a CTV/Rogers consortium won the rights to the 2010 and 2012 Olympics, but somehow managed to offer $50 million more than the competition. ... Worst development: Sportsnet airing viewers' text messages (at 50 cents a pop) during shows like Prime Time Sports. Maybe Rogers thinks allowing unidentified people to tell everyone "Leafs suck" is making the world a better place. Or maybe Ted needs the money. ... The Toronto sports media community was in a state of shock when a rumour circulated that FAN 590 host Gord Stellick had turned down an opportunity to endorse a product. Things returned to normal when it was quickly learned there was absolutely no truth to the rumour. ... Learning on the job: it was a rough year for Jays fans who had to endure the growing pains provided by rookie baseball announcers Jamie Campbell and Warren Sawkiw. Raptors fans are also suffering as radio voice Paul Jones learns the business. ... All that money will help the NHL's bottom line, but OLN knows a lot more about covering bow hunting than it does hockey. ... Most irritating abbreviations: calling the power play "the p.p." and referring to the NBA as "the association." ... All those guys who said the positive response to CBC's announcer-free football broadcasts would make them reconsider how much they talk obviously have pretty short memories. If you've noticed any decrease in verbal output, you have better ears than I. ... Maybe if they didn't talk so much, the following language crimes would not have been committed in 2005: 1) ESPN football analyst Joe Theismann told viewers that a running back "just voided out of the backfield." A messy play indeed; 2) TSN football analyst Glen Suitor, attempting to say that a player had "some success," instead told viewers he "had some sex;" 3) Sportsnet baseball announcer Jamie Campbell noted twice during a game that Blue Jays pitcher Miguel Batista and catcher Gregg Zaun "were in agreeance" on pitch selection; 4) TSN baseball analyst Pat Tabler told viewers that Yankees pitcher Paul Quantrill was making his 799th career appearance. "One more will give him 800," he added, apparently for the benefit of those not scoring at home; 5) CBS football analyst Steve Buerlein informed viewers that debating a referee's decision was "a mute point." We can only hope.
2005, THE UGLY: To the paid talkers who continued to paint Todd Bertuzzi as the victim and Steve Moore as a whiner — what's a broken neck, anyway? — please shut up in 2006.
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