“The days of 16 people standing around the dice table high-fiving one another are over for now. But it’s going to bounce back. Las Vegas is part of the American culture. And I think it will come back better than ever.”
—Adam Wiesberg, general manager, El Cortez Casino in Las Vegas, who believes the impact of the coronavirus will subside over time
“Part of the reason these guys can charge $25 for a watered-down vodka soda is the energy and vibe around their resorts. If these clubs aren’t open and you’re not permitting the same party atmosphere, will people still come?”
—Chad Beynon, analyst, Macquarie Group, on the future of Las Vegas
“Things were really bullish here in Las Vegas. And now, as a result of the virus, the public health crisis and the government shutting down the economy, it looks to me like Las Vegas is going to be once again one of the hardest-hit metro areas in the West.”
—Stephen Miller, professor of economics, UNLV, on Nevada’s unemployment rate, which reached 28.2 percent in April, the highest in the state’s history
“If you’re not allowed large gatherings, that goes for sports and it goes for other social events too. We expect to see a lot of that activity move online.”
—Jason Robins, CEO, DraftKings, on the bump in online betting due to the coronavirus
“The lifting of the emergency does not mean the virus is gone or infections are down to zero. Our battle against the virus will continue.”
—Shinzo Abe, Japanese prime minister, who lifted the country’s shutdown order on May 25
“In the case of Macau, it seems that some of these issues should be considered or we may lose the epithet of gambling capital of the world and in a few years the casinos that we have will be museums instead of gaming and entertainment destinations.”
—Pedro Cortés, Macau-based lawyer, who says the government there should consider offering an online gaming product
“I think that is on everybody’s mind as far as, no one wants to see that happen. We will monitor with all the numbers and the doctors that we are working with and our health officials. They will constantly be monitoring those things and advising us on a daily basis.”
— James Gessner, chairman of the Mohegan Tribe, emphasizing the safety measures his tribe and the Mashantucket Pequot will implement when they reopen their Connecticut casinos on June 1
“There’s cabin fever and some pent up demand. Gamers that are avid gamers, they want to keep on playing.”
—Ken Kettler, president of Tulalip Resort in Washington state , on the excitement generated by the reopening last week
“I’m upset, sure. I don’t feel like it’s time to be there yet. There’s too many people still carrying coronavirus. They obviously don’t really care about anybody, as far as their employees go. I mean, ‘Just open the door, we gotta get open.'”
—Sandra Burdette, blackjack dealer, Rancho Mirage Casino in Palm Springs, who declined to return to work, saying, “There’s no job worth my life”
“A hundred years from now, our grandkids will still get married by Elvis, then go to a buffet after. So it really is a part of our identity.”
— Amanda Belarmino, professor, Harrah College of Hospitality at UNLV, who says the buffet will live on in some form, despite the coronavirus
“First, health concerns are paramount. …. Once we’re past that phase, people will need a reason to travel.”
—Chris Jones, spokesman, McCarran International Airport, where passenger traffic fell by over 2 million people in March, a 53 percent year-on-year drop
“It is a reality that the company could not escape the new normal that lies ahead of us. Not having any revenues since the lockdown has been financially draining and caused severe losses to the company, and if this is not addressed, its losses will pile up.”
— Takashi Oya, president, Okada Manila, in an internal memo announcing the layoffs of 1,000 employees of the integrated resort in the Philippine capital
“We will fully and faithfully implement the policy of ‘One Country, Two, Systems,’ under which the people of Hong Kong govern Hong Kong and the people of Macau govern Macau with a high degree of autonomy for both regions.”
—Li Keqiang, Chinese premier, promising that Beijing will support the SARs in “growing their economies, improving living standards, and … maintaining long-term prosperity and stability”
“Our latest report shows that children’s exposure to TV ads for alcohol and gambling products remains low. We will continue our proactive monitoring to make sure this remains the case for TV ads and carry out further monitoring online so we limit children’s exposure to age-restricted ads wherever they appear.”
—Guy Parker, CEO, U.K. Advertising Standards Association, on a significant drop in children’s exposure to gambling ads
“We’re approaching a fiscal cliff. We have two choices: toss our state into the abyss or take measures that will allow us to slowly back away from the edge and keep our feet on solid ground.”
—Phil Murphy, New Jersey governor, who’s kept Atlantic City casinos guessing about when they’ll be permitted to reopen
“For many people who are gambling heavily, this has come as a huge relief.”
—Tony Mohr, executive director, Alliance for Gambling Reform, speaking about the positive side of a casino lockdown in Australia—less opportunities to gamble
