Major online gambling investor backs Graham presidential bid

Reports from the United States indicate that billionaire investment tycoon Ronald Perelman (72) intends to support anti-online gambling Sen. Lindsey Graham in his presidential bid next year.

Bearing in mind that Perelman is chairman and largest stockholder of Scientific Games Inc, which boasts a large and very active online division, the alliance might at first blush seem a little strange, but Scientific Games is but one of the billionaire’s numerous investments, and his interest in Graham appears more foreign policy-oriented.

A Perelman associate told iGaming Wire Monday that the appeal of Sen. Graham’s presidential campaign for Perelman lay in its focus on national security and the protection of Israel.

“His support is driven by a desire to ensure a robust discussion on critical foreign policy issues, especially the pending accord with Iran and U.S. support for Israel,” he said.

Graham, a South Carolina Republican, has been the point man in the federal Senate for land gambling mogul Sheldon Adelson’s Restoration of the American Wire Act, a measure that seeks to federally outlaw many forms of online gambling.  Graham is expected to re-introduce the bill to the Senate this year.

Perelman is listed on Graham’s national finance committee, according to a report in the New York Times, and has made donations to the senator’s previous campaigns.

The billionaire is reportedly worth around $14.7 billion.

Graham’s election campaign has published a statement from Perelman which supports the candidate, asserting:

“Lindsey Graham understands America’s leadership role in promoting an enduring peace on the global landscape. With conflicts raging in the Middle East and around the world that threaten the security of America and our allies, we need leaders with strategic purpose and moral clarity to confront these crises.”

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