Trump Expands On Internet Gambling Plans
Friday , October 21, 2011 : Trump Entertainment's high profile founder talks to Fortune magazine on his joint venture with property multi-billionaire
The news earlier this week that land gambling mogul Donald Trump and property multi-billionaire Marc Lasry were collaborating on a new internet gambling venture caught everyone's attention, and "The Donald" has followed it up with a Fortune Magazine interview to keep the pot boiling.
“This has to happen because many other countries are doing it and like usual the U.S. is just missing out,” Trump told Forbes. “It seems inevitable, but with this country you never know if it’s inevitable.”
Trump Entertainment Resorts will form a joint venture for Internet gambling with Lasry's Avenue Capital Group, a $12 billion hedge fund firm.
“We have been looking at this for a while,” Trump told Forbes. “We have the hottest brand in the world according to many and we think we will do extremely well because of the Trump brand.”
The Forbes article reveals that Trump and Lasry are in the final stages of selecting a management partner, negotiating with undisclosed third parties that have “experience in operating on-line gaming businesses in jurisdictions outside the United States where on-line gaming is currently allowed by law,” according to a Trump Entertainment Resorts Securities & Exchange Commission filing.
Trump is preparing both for the possibility of federal Internet gambling regulation becoming law or that New Jersey will do something on the state level, Forbes reports.
“Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and the American Gaming Association are working to get online gambling legalization through a divided Congress. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed an online gaming bill earlier this year, but some New Jersey lawmakers are still working to get legalization passed,” Forbes points out.
“Trump and Lasry have no plans to move forward without a federal or state regulatory regime in place. The joint venture would be 10 percent owned by Trump Entertainment, which is controlled by Lasry’s Avenue Capital.
In the interview, Trump noted that both federal and state governments would benefit from increased tax revenues if online gaming was properly regulated.
“The U.S. is missing out and New Jersey is missing out and everyone else is getting it,” Trump said.
