“With the integrated resort legislation reaching its final stages, we hope this concert demonstrates our commitment to developing meaningful partnerships in Japan.”
—Mark Frissora, Caesars Entertainment president and CEO, who hopes a Celine Dion concert will help the U.S. company win a Japan IR license
“A hydra-like three headed co-chairman group and the elevation of entrenched management is not an indication that any shake up at the company is forthcoming.”
—Bernstein analysts Vitaly Umansky, Zhen Gong and Kelsey Zhu, who say SJM’s succession plan, which installed Stanley Ho’s daughter, wife and ex-wife in leadership roles could be a recipe for chaos
“Business volumes across Macau decelerated notably in the last week of June: we’re surveying the market to see if there was a universal root cause, but at this point we’re not concerned. Keep in mind that Macau has bad weeks all the time and one bad week doesn’t make a trend.”
—Grant Govertsen, Union Gaming Asia Securities, on June numbers that missed the mark; analysts forecast growth in the casino market of 20 percent, and GGR grew by 12 percent
“Brazil is a country with very great potential. With a good study, we can put 20 to 25 casinos in each region, generating jobs and stimulating the economy.”
—Marx Beltrão, former Brazil tourism minister, who hopes to see the country legalize casino gaming this year
“Not only in New Jersey, or the entire United States of America, but I think around the world, people are going to see that Atlantic City is alive and well. And they’re going to continue to see a change in Atlantic City because people are going to have to compete to a higher standard that they didn’t have to before. We didn’t come to Atlantic City to open another casino or to reopen a closed casino. We came here to change the city. And I think that we’ve taken the first step toward doing that.”
—Jack Morris, a principal in the investment group with Hard Rock International to the Press of Atlantic City on the opening of the Hard Rock Atlantic City
“It’s not realistic to think that people will go to casinos to fund their accounts or to bet. It’s going to happen on phones, and you’re not going to eliminate the illegal market if it’s limited to physical casinos only.”
—David Miller, PGA Tour Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at the Hashtag Sports media innovation event in New York City on why the PGA is supporting sports betting laws that allow for mobile betting
“The way people consume sports is going to fundamentally change in the next five to 10 years and we want to be at the forefront of that. We come at it through very much a gaming lens, but gaming will also drive what content people are interested in, what games they want to interact with and a number of other things, so we feel like we can play a very interesting position, particularly if we do it the right way, through partnerships with others, because at the end of the day, we have one of the largest user bases of connected millennial sports fans.”
—Matt King, CEO of FanDuel to the NY Daily News on his company’s move into sports betting
“We said way back in 2009, stop the money from coming in. Government, BCLC, the service provider all can do that. We were insistent that something had to be done. And I think we got to the point where they didn’t want to listen to us anymore.”
—Joe Schalk, former director of investigations for B.C.’s Gaming and Policy Enforcement Branch, on the refusal of the government to listen about money laundering at B.C. casinos
“Thanks to Dr. Peter German’s work, I can tell you it is tied to the opioid crisis that has taken thousands of people from their families. It’s linked to the real estate market and housing prices that have made life unaffordable for British Columbians.”
—David Eby, British Columbia attorney general, on a report by Peter German about money laundering at BC casinos
“We want to be known as Arizona’s racetrack that benefits horsemen throughout the state. We want a year-round circuit returning to Arizona with the resumption of summer racing, so horses and all the jobs they create stay in the state.”
—Corey Johnsen, racing executive with Arizona Downs, formerly Yavapai Downs, which is reopening
