CHRIS CHRISTIE ACCUSED OF STALLING CASINO TO PLEASE BILLIONAIRE

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Breitbart:

Some critics of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie accuse him of stalling a plan to bring one of the world’s largest online gambling companies to Atlantic City because Christie does not want to alienate Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire owner of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., which operates physical casinos.

 

Adelson is adamantly opposed to online gambling and is good friends with Christie, as evidenced by Adelson lending Christie his plane.

 

PokerStars, one of the world’s most popular online poker sites, had partnered with Atlantic City’s Resorts Casino Hotel to open a $10 million poker room but could not get a gaming license in New Jersey. Democratic State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, who brought the bill to legalize online gambling in the state, accused Christie of stonewalling the project, saying, “Christie put a stop to it. With a high degree of confidence it’s apparent that’s exactly what has happened.”

 

Bob McDevitt, the president of Unite Here Local 54, which represents Atlantic City’s casino workers, echoed Lesniak, according to Business Insider, asserting, “My impression was that PokerStars should have been already up and operating long before this point. My understanding is that it was the attorney general’s office and the governor who are holding up the approvals.”

 

One source told Business Insider, “There is no question in my mind that Sheldon Adelson is the reason why this hasn’t moved forward, and that’s the only reason.”

 

PokerStars has been trying to build its business in New Jersey since January 2013, when it tried to buy the Atlantic Club Casino. That deal required approval from New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE). But the DGE dawdled, and the Atlantic Club closed in January 2014 after a bankruptcy sale. One ostensible reason for the delay by the DGE was that federal government had filed charges against PokerStars because it allegedly had American customers while the company was headquartered in the Isle of Man. PokerStars eventually paid over $500 million to settle with the U.S. government.

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Another headache for Christie?