“We’ve seen in this industry a number of ups and downs over the last 30, 40 years—ever since it went mainstream in the U.S. It’s an entertainment business at its core, and it’s typically the last to go and the first to come back. That’s the trend that we’re seeing now.”
—Mario Kontomerkos, president and CEO, Mohegan Gaming Authority, on the Connecticut tribal firm’s strong reopening, and the public’s enthusiasm for safety measures
“We will know everybody coming through our facilities, what times they were there, and have that information ready and available.”
—Zane Hansen, Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, on provincial casinos’ plans to track patrons through loyalty cards and other records in the Covid-19 era
“I don’t understand how we can sit up in Atlanta and tell folks they’re not allowed to vote for themselves. It’s 50,000 permanent jobs, $1 billion in new revenue, no tax incentives and local control. That’s four things that are hard to vote against.”
—Ron Stephens, Georgia congressman, who has failed again to get casino gaming on the ballot there
“While the Covid-19 pandemic is still spreading, we have been in contact with local governments intending to submit applications for a bid and confirming whether or not there will be issues with the scheduled application period of January to July 2021.”
—Kazuyoshi Akaba, Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, who said the application period for local governments to apply for an IR, including a casino, may be delayed from January to July 2021
“The government is single-handedly wrecking the viability of hundreds of betting shops in Scotland. We urge Sturgeon to intervene before it’s too late.”
—Michael Dugher, CEO, U.K. Betting and Gaming Council, asking Minister Nicola Sturgeon to protest the ongoing lockdown of Scottish betting shops
“I cannot imagine that it is the intention of Berlin politicians to take what to date has been a transparent market for commercial gaming and to leave it in future primarily to rotten profiteers or even to organized crime.”
—Manfred Stoffers, Gauselmann Group, on a decision by the Berlin government to close four out of five gaming arcades, closing 380 of 500 operations
“We’re kind of building the plane while we’re flying it; there are key pieces that need to be handled before the operators can go live.”
—Kevin Hall, executive director, Virginia Lottery, on creating regulations for sports betting and casinos at the same time
“No one wants to go back to the hell that we went through.”
—Andrew Cuomo, New York governor, on his go-slow approach to reopening, a policy that continues to keep the state’s casinos on lockdown
