Review-Journal columnist John L Smith has resigned from the Las Vegas newspaper in protest at a ban on writing about its new owner, Sheldon Adelson. Until this week, Smith, who Adelson once attempted to sue for defamation, wrote a popular column in the paper on issues facing Las Vegas, from human interest stories to politics. Adelson sued Smith in 2005 over his book Sharks in the Desert. The lawsuit stated that “Smith deceptively manipulates language, quotations, and sources in order to concoct the smear that Adelson had dealings with the Boston Mob when Adelson was in the vending machine business.” The…

The mystery surrounding ownership of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada’s largest news outlet, finally reached a conclusion. Casino magnate and Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, the Chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., officially confirmed that his family was the force behind the $140 million purchase. The announcement ended a period of intense scrutiny and unease within the journalism community. The secrecy triggered an “avalanche of criticism” from media ethicists and the paper’s own reporters, who spent days investigating their anonymous employer. Many voiced concerns that a clandestine owner—especially one with significant political and business interests in the region—could compromise…

The news two days ago that Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt would be signing a letter from other AG’s in support of the federal ban regarding online gaming and poker came as a stunner. Not only did it surprise the online gaming and poker communities – and the casinos that support online gaming – but it particularly surprised Laxalt’s bosses in the state house and Governor’s quarters in Carson City. Evidence has now come to light that demonstrates that Laxalt may be directly influenced by billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson and his continued drive to ban online gaming and poker….

Those of you rooting for the demise of Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson might have finally gotten your wish. On Friday, the Guardian published an article saying that Adelson will soon face graft accusations in a US court of law. If you have no idea what graft is, we’ll let a dictionary fill you in: “practices, especially bribery, used to secure illicit gains in politics or business; corruption.” According to the Guardian, the charges stem from allegedly nefarious actions at Adelson’s all-important casinos in Macau and, if prosecutors are successful, could spell the end of his gaming licenses in…

A judge in Las Vegas has ruled that a lawsuit involving accusations of graft and organised crime ties to casinos owned by the multibillionaire and Republican party funder, Sheldon Adelson, will be heard in the US. The decision raises the prospect of Adelson facing difficult questions about his business practices following allegations by a former chief executive of his highly profitable casinos in the Chinese enclave of Macau that a well-known triad crime figure was used to bring in high-rolling gamblers and of influence peddling with Chinese officials. The case potentially has implications for Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands casinos because…

Poker Fuse – Once again this year the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) will be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, but this time their host, Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson, will also be a keynote speaker. Adelson will be giving one of two keynote speeches at the trade show which runs from September 30 to October 2, and with an audience composed of the illuminati of the land based and online gambling industry, he is expected to expound on his opposition to online poker in the US. The Coalition to Stop Internet…