The Moral Wrestling Match Inside Me

In 1999, I was about to become one of the world’s first online casino operators. The company was called The Crown Jewel Casino. We had the software deal sorted and we were about to pitch for $6 million funding for marketing.

Then my business partners pulled out at the last second, citing religious and spiritual concerns. They felt an overwhelming sense of guilt about what we were about to unleash into the world.

I was devastated at the time. What felt like the opportunity of a lifetime had just evaporated because of last-minute moral qualms. But looking back 26 years later, that moment shaped everything that followed.

Instead of becoming an operator who took money directly from players, I remained a service provider by building the websites and creating the experiences, but staying one step removed from the house edge.

That distinction has defined my career, but it hasn’t resolved the moral wrestling match that lives inside me.

My Evolution From Shame to Pride

In those early days, I couldn’t even own what I did for work. When people asked what I did, I would say “I build websites” and never mention gambling. The fear of judgment was overwhelming. At my kids’ school, I would tell teachers and fellow parents I was an “internet consultant” – anything to avoid the word “gambling.”

I lived this double life for years. Successful entrepreneur by day, but having to whisper about my actual work because society viewed online gambling as something unsavoury, something that existed in the shadows.

The stigma wasn’t just social – it was costing me real money. Corporate clients would see casino work in our portfolio and look at us like we were dealing in the underworld. We literally lost contracts because of our association with iGaming.

That’s when I made the decision to split my business in two: Stonewall Productions for corporate clients and Vegas Kings exclusively for gaming. This separation was the official birth of the Vegas Kings brand – born out of necessity to hide our gaming work from the corporate world.

But something shifted over the past couple of years. I decided to own what I do because I’m genuinely proud of the business I’ve built and the industry I’m in. It may still be taboo to some, but I own it now.

But something shifted over the decades. The industry matured. Regulation arrived. Sports betting exploded into mainstream culture. Now when someone asks what I do, I confidently tell them: “I build websites and experiences for the gaming industry.” I’m proud of what Vegas Kings has accomplished over 27 years.

Over the years, online gaming has become a massive business and you can’t walk three steps without seeing a gambling ad, both offline and online. The industry went from the shadows to stadium scoreboards. Betting odds scroll across ESPN. Casino apps advertise during the Super Bowl. We’ve become completely mainstream, and society has become so desensitized to it all that I finally felt I could be more myself.

Every morning I sauna at the gym. It’s very social and I often get asked about my profession. When I tell them what I do it often sparks such genuine interest and leads to great conversation. It’s amazing how gambling has become so mainstream.

The Ultimate Irony… I Don’t Gamble

Here’s the crazy thing that might surprise everyone: I don’t gamble. Not online and not in Las Vegas. Not at all, actually.

When I was young, my dad took me to the famous Sun City Casino and we walked into the Salon Privé. We walked right up to the roulette table and he put a large fresh note in my hand and told me to trade it for a chip. “Put it on your lucky number 7,” he said. Before I blinked, it was gone.

All I could think about was how many satisfying hours I could have had in the sweet shop and how many games of Space Invaders I could have played in the games arcade. That lesson stayed with me forever.

I’ve been going to Vegas for more than 20 years and I find it hard to put a coin in a slot machine.

I always knew that I didn’t want to get hooked, so I deliberately built a wall around myself. But when I walk into a casino, I love the feeling – the lights, the energy, it really excites me.

Since I entered the industry I have studied the psyche of a gambler, what turns them on and what keeps them entertained. I live within the stats and the numbers and this has allowed me to be an expert in this field. I have needed to study it so deeply so I can deliver great products for my clients, without actually being a real money player.

The Personal Cost of Success

But here’s where my moral wrestling match gets complicated: one of my closest friends is a gambling addict.

I watch him struggle constantly. I see how it affects his relationships, his finances and his mental health. The lies, the broken promises, the cycle of hope and despair. I speak openly with him about his addiction – he knows exactly what I do for work, and we don’t dance around the connection.

This isn’t theoretical guilt about an abstract industry. This is watching someone I care about be damaged by the very ecosystem I help build. Every conversation with him reminds me that behind every platform we create, every seamless user experience we design, there are real people who might be harmed.

How do you reconcile professional success with personal witness to that harm?

I must admit, I’ve often wanted to dilute my involvement in traditional gaming by gravitating toward lottery work. I’ve always loved lottery – it feels less predatory somehow. Every user expects to lose. People don’t bet their life away on lottery tickets. They buy their ticket, live the dream for a few days, then accept reality and move on.

There’s something cleaner about lottery. People get to dream about winning without the immediate ability to chase losses or fall into destructive patterns. It’s contained gambling, gambling with natural cooling-off periods built in.

But that’s probably just me trying to find a version of gaming I can embrace without guilt.

The Industry I Can’t Leave

Here’s the truth, despite this ongoing moral wrestling match, I don’t see myself leaving the gambling industry. Gaming is in my blood and my soul. I love what I do. I love the people I work with. I love the innovation, the technology, the constant evolution. The iGaming community has given me some of the strongest friendships and most rewarding professional relationships of my life.

This isn’t an article seeking absolution or trying to justify the industry. It’s an acknowledgment of complexity – the recognition that you can love something while simultaneously questioning its impact.

I’m sharing this moral wrestling match because I know I’m not alone. There are many industry veterans who carry this same internal tension – professionals who’ve built successful careers while privately worrying about the potential for harm.

But that tension doesn’t have to be paralyzing. It can be motivating.

It’s our duty to work with regulated operators who implement proper player protection tools, not grey market predators who exploit vulnerable players. It’s our responsibility to build experiences that include reality checks, deposit limits, and cooling-off periods. It’s our obligation to design platforms that make responsible gambling tools prominent, not buried in fine print.

Just like the fast food industry has a responsibility to customers who are addicted to their daily dopamine rushes from processed food, we have a responsibility to players who might develop unhealthy relationships with gambling.

The moral wrestling match doesn’t end. But it can drive us to be better – to build a softer landing for those who struggle, to protect the vulnerable, and to ensure that as our industry continues to grow and innovate, we never lose sight of our human impact.

Because at the end of the day, we’re not just building websites and apps. We’re creating experiences that touch real lives. That’s both the burden and the responsibility of what we do.

“The Power Play by Moshe Adir” is released weekly on the Vegas Kings website and LinkedIn. Drawing from nearly 30 years of experience in design and development for online gaming, Moshe shares exclusive industry insights, lessons learned, and behind-the-scenes stories from the evolution of iGaming. Stay tuned for fresh perspectives from one of the industry’s OG!