“We hoped that a significant portion of our operations would bounce back by the summer. That outlook has continued to evolve … Based on the current situation, we now believe that some of our colleagues may not return to work this year.”
—Bill Hornbuckle, MGM Resorts CEO, in a letter to furloughed employees telling them they may have to “find permanent employment elsewhere”
“No one accounts for their business revenue almost going to zero. If business doesn’t come back quickly, we’re all going to be in a battle for survival.”
—Johnathan Schwartz, director, YCS & New Cab of Las Vegas, on a 97 percent drop in taxi use in the city in April
“It’s hurting in the short term. It’s hurting now, because for most of us, that revenue is our source for the programs and services that we provide our communities. We have been discussing, since the day we decided to shut down our casinos, ‘How do we survive?’”
—Brian Vallo, governor, Acoma Pueblo of New Mexico, on the grave damage done by the loss of tribal casino revenues
“An especially concerning aspect is that they are actually inviting people to visit their websites. That is still promoting the companies.”
—Samantha Thomas, professor and marketing expert, Deakin University in Australia, who says responsible gaming messages from gaming operators are thinly disguised advertisements
“There is an ill-conceived notion that winning will improve (people’s) well-being.”
—Guy Clark, New Mexico gambling opponent, decrying the reported increase in lottery sales since the Covid-19 pandemic began
“I think a lot of those people won’t go back (to casinos). For the first time, they’re saying, ‘I’ve paid my rent, I’m not feeling ashamed of myself.’”
—Tim Costello, Alliance for Gambling Reform, who says Australians may have saved up to $1.5 billion since the lockdown of clubs and casinos
“Seeing New Jersey’s retail sportsbook handle at zero and its land-based casinos generate no revenue is jarring, lying bare just how much these shutdowns are costing the industry.”
—Dustin Gouker, PlayNJ.com, on the impact of Covid-19 on NJ casinos
“The playbook has kind of gone out the window.”
—Dan Hartman, Colorado Division of Gaming, on how the launch of sports betting on May 1 coincided with the shutdown of most competition
“If you go to the supermarket, it is much more dangerous than driving horses.”
—Richard Skoglund, Sweden’s top jockey, on why harness racing is not a problem when it comes to Covid-19
“What you’re seeing right now is simply a symptom of a much deeper problem facing tribal nations for over a century. The failure to fund us has left us incredibly vulnerable.”
—Fawn Sharp, president, National Congress of American Indians, on delays in federal government aid to tribes devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic
“I don’t know that you ever make up lost revenue, and I think the concern is how business impacted for the foreseeable future. Because you put an ‘Open’ sign up doesn’t mean that everything is back to normal.”
—Jeff Hamilton, president, Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, on whether things will ever be back to normal
“The beginning of the reopening of our economy is not the end of the coronavirus. The coronavirus is still with us, as strong as ever.”
—Steve Sisolak, Nevada governor
