Columnist Daniel Gross who specializes in business and the money culture, as he puts it, has contributed to the November 5 issue of Newsweek. Gross writes regularly to the Slate website and other publications.

In the column, titled "Viva Las Vegas! Viva America!" Gross writes:
"Gambling may be many things: a bad habit, an addiction to some, a sin to others. In America, it's a massive industry that shows no signs of flagging, despite the economic headwinds."

He goes on to describe the gambling economy, with specific emphasis on Las Vegas, and mentioning of the casinos in Indian reservations. He counts 460 commercial casinos in 11 states, which employ a total of 366,197 people, quoting the American Gaming Association. Add to that 372 Indian casinos, horse racing and lotteries in most other states and the picture is indeed vast.

But what does Gross grossly miss? Exactly - online gambling. Wait a minute. To make sure it catches his eye (something hundreds of gambling sites and 30 million American gamblers haven't already done), we'll shout it: ONLINE GAMBLING!

Talk of Competition

Even when Gross discusses the factors that have hurt Las Vegas in the past year, he fails to mention the Web-alternative. He writes:
"The slumping economy and the continuing boom in Native American casinos in California, Vegas's largest feeder market, are having an impact."

He points out the added value that Las Vegas' casinos have with regard to the American economy. Mainly, these include discretionary spending, with gamblers shopping at stores, eating at restaurants, visiting shows, and flying around the nation to Las Vegas.

These indeed are added value aspects. But they are not foreign to online gambling; if anything, they pose a challenge to the economy. No one in his or her right mind will say that the Internet has hurt spending and shopping. Just ask Amazon, if you can get its attention for a second as it prepares for the holidays coming up!

The challenge, Mr. Gross, is not to find an attractive show to replace the familiar Celine Dion. It's to find a new show altogether! For some it starts with looking at the market for what it really is.