Online Casino Convention Organiser Blames Industry
Fears of US Authority raid at conference allayed as organiser attacks absentees
Tuesday 19th September 2006
During his opening address at the Casino Affiliate Convention and Gaming Marketing Conference in Las Vegas last week, organiser Marc Lesnick claimed that the industry was in more danger from itself than it was from US authorities.
Lesnick, organiser of the fourth annual Casino Affiliate Convention determined, 'The biggest threat to this industry is not the United States government. The biggest threat to this industry is the little boys who were afraid to come here today.'
Lesnick’s comments were in reference to the fact that several affiliate programmes had withdrawn from the conference as attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors amid rumours that US law enforcement officials had issued 400 indictments and planned to exercise them at the conference.
Lesnick continued to reveal that he had come under increasing pressure to cancel the conference altogether. 'The amount of pressure I received internally, from within the industry, was tremendous. There was no pressure externally,' he said.
Nine of the event's 18 main sponsors withdrew from attending, and 21 of the registered 49 exhibitors declined to set up their booths. Attendees at the conference totalled approximately 500; noticeably below last year’s total of 700.
