Speakers present during the session included J.Terrence Lanni, chairman and CEO of MGM MIRAGE, Gary Loveman, Chairman,CEO and president of Harrah’s Entertainment,Inc; Ander Wilsenach, CEO of the Alderney Gambling Control Commission and of course D’Amato. They all were in agreement that
online poker would most likely be legalized before other
online casino-style games.
They also believe that underage gambling can be prevented and players can be protected online. They said that because of the ban in the U.S. for reputable payment processers players may be using payment options that are not as safe. “I am afraid the U.S. customer today is very exposed - there’s no player protection,” Andre Wilsenach said.
Loveman talked about Harrah’s want to research possibly expanding the WSOP to an online market which would have to be done overseas. Loveman stated along with Lanni that they do not want to explore places where the laws are unclear and business would only be done where it is clearly legal.