“Pretending to be a normal person when you are not to make a conversation in favor of the employer is very worrying. I read about this concerning U.S. President Donald Trump. Is this happening in Macau?”
—Galaxy Entertainment employee, speaking anonymously about reports the company monitored workers’ complaints about GEG on social media, and presumably posted positive remarks to counterbalance the negative ones
“We tried many times to communicate with the government but we have never received any reply, so what can we do? I can’t take all the dogs back home. I’ll need to find a place to settle them.”
—Angela Leong, owner, Macau Canidrome dog track, on the uncertain fate of hundreds of greyhounds after the track closes this summer
“It will be a story of selling the country—a system whereby the gambling losses of Japanese people will make contributions to the United States.”
—Yukio Edano, Japan opposition leader, who says casinos in the country will make rich American investors richer at the expense of the Japanese
“They are human beings and I think society needs to realize that they are important for everyday life since they support it. They do all the service jobs in Macau, casino security, restaurant waiters and helpers. There needs to be more mutual understanding of each other and not just seeing them as outsiders or labor.”
—Shi Wei, assistant professor, University of Macau, on his book on immigrant labor titled, “Drifting around China and Las Vegas: Migrant Workers in Macau”
“The current law needs to be amended in order to accommodate at least six concessionaires, and/or eventually to extend the number to seven or eight, and this should be done during the present legislature.”
—Almeida Correia, Macau gaming attorney, who favors the addition of new casino concessionaires when the current licenses expire
“Gambling machines are everywhere. Betting is glamorized, our newspapers tell us daily about the winners and never about the losers.”
—Robert Nyamori, Kenya academic, who says gambling addiction is rife in the African nation
“The government is worried about rampant betting, that is why we are still putting measures in place like taxing winnings at 20 percent. We hope this will lower the appetite for betting.”
—Nelson Gaichuhie, Kenya Treasury official, on a planned tax on gamblers’ winnings
“I hate gambling. I do not want gambling. If you are thinking of a gambling place there, forget it. You are dreaming.”
—Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine president, to investors hoping to build a casino on Boracay Island
“This is an entirely blatant, contemptible, imprudent, low behavior of reverse racism. This is garbage!”
—“Late Night Cat,” posting on Weibo about plans to open the internet to residents of Hainan while restricting it to others in China
“They had a very negative impact and undermined social morals.”
—Officials, Ludian County, China after four uniformed police officers were caught gambling on video
“It’s the very worrying tip of a very big iceberg.”
—Michael Gazeley, online security expert, on claims Galaxy Entertainment covertly “neutralized” online employee complaints
“A lot of horses have left the state. Owners, money, people are having to go other places to raise their horses. People are going to run where the purses are the best.”
—Melissa Bernard, a supporter of an “instant racing” measure that has qualified for November ballot in Idaho, arguing that the state’s horseracing industry needs the machines
“So far, knock on wood, it’s looking pretty good with very little negative impact.”
—Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chairman Steven Crosby, hailing the third anniversary of Plainridge Park Casino
“We need to be prepared to take a loss if we’re not going to allow criminals to gamble.”
—British Columbian Attorney General David Eby commenting on the projected loss of casino revenue expected after money-laundering rules take effect
“We appreciate Pennsylvania taking the practical approach. Us and others have invested a significant amount of infrastructure in New Jersey. Hopefully, future states will follow suit.”
—Eric Frank, deputy compliance officer and director of legal affairs for The Stars Group at the East Coast Gaming Congress at Harrah’s Atlantic City on Pennsylvania not requiring that online gambling companies locate their computer servers in the state
