I wrote about this earlier in the week over at Casinomeister:
The fact of the matter is that there has been no COLLECTIVE effort made by the industry. Sure, most of the big guys have been dropping money into assorted lobbyists pockets, however, this has continued to be mostly ineffective. The one time a lobbyist WAS effective, it was of all people, Abramoff. We all know that his success was crucial to the direction we now find ourselves in.
It seems incomprehensible that an industry worth billions, which shells out literally hundreds of millions in marketing dollars, did not have a collective plan to bring the questionable US status to the public forefront and moreover, create a united front to challenge the US stance.
For example…
When California Indian tribes wanted to bring casino gaming into the state, a very public campaign was waged. It was waged via multiple snail mail information packs, newspaper, billboard and television advertising and they enlisted the aid of the biggest PR companies available. Solid facts were presented…opposing views were presented. Without this sort of plan, most Californians would not even have been aware of the issue and Indian gaming would not have made it onto the state’s soil.
Rather than earmarking marketing funds towards new players, it would seem to have been a wiser move to split off 30% towards a US campaign to prevent the ignorance and apathy we’re now mired in.
We were all shocked when David Carruthers was arrested and it was a stunning moment for this industry. What is most disturbing about this is how Carruthers was unable to make bail. In terms of this industry and salaries, a one million dollar bail (essentially $100,000 up front with property as bond) would not seem to be something difficult to pull together. It was stunning to see Carruthers sit in jail for nine days before he was able to comply with the bail requirements. I just cannot understand why the industry did not rally behind Carruthers, showing a united front, and not only pay the bail, but pledge to pay all of his legal defense fees. Instead, Carruthers has been essentially “fed to the lions,” and is now something of a parriah.
Over the past few days, I’ve spoken with several operators and I’ve asked why there has been no collective efforts. EVERY single one of those I’ve asked have had the same response…
“We need to take the road of caution and we cannot afford to have our names out there.”
Each time, my response is the same…
“Why? It’s not as if you’d be coming to the US now, anyhow. What is there to lose at this point?”
And in each case, I’m still waiting for that answer.
It’s time for the industry to band together in a big way…and bring along the big bucks. We can no longer hope that Antigua or people like Michael Corfman will fight these battles on their own. This is an industry issue and must be addressed BY the industry.
To answer Lou’s question regarding the IGC, we have to look towards the casinos and ourselves. The IGC can only do as much as they have funding to do. Remember–this is an organization committed to the International community and they are severely underfunded. The funds they DO have must be spread not only towards US issues, but issues worldwide. It’s really not fair for us to point a finger at the IGC in this.