“He did some very bad things. He committed murders. He committed robberies and burglaries. He beat people up. He was generally not someone who most people would want to associate with. But as long as you understood that, he was a gentleman.”
—Geoff Schumacher, Las Vegas Mob Museum, on the death of Frank Cullotta, former mobster and crony of Tony Spilotro, who turned informant and helped break the Chicago Mafia’s grip on Las Vegas
“To leave the casino closed for any longer than absolutely necessary would ultimately jeopardize the long-term health and safety of our community even more than the spread of Covid-19.”
—Heather Keen, of Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene Tribe, on the tribe’s decision to reopen its casino on May 1
“It is our leaders’ responsibility to develop a modern, diversified portfolio of business that insulates our tribal economies from future risks like pandemics. Gaming is not a magic pill.”
—Gary Davis, executive director, Native American Financial Services Association, in an April USA Today op-ed on the decimation caused by the pandemic
“When you put politics aside, there are no real obstacles to getting this … Working with the tribes on the modernization of gaming laws is just common sense.”
—Rodney Butler, chairman, Mashantucket tribe, on actions the Connecticut state government should take to legalize sports betting
“If there was ever a time when the card machine was gonna get a hammering, it was this week, and it hasn’t. So it’s quite obvious that when we do get back to some sense of normality, racecourses have got to realize that the choice is clear and people want to bet in cash.”
—Keith Johnson, bookie at the Ebor Festival, a horseracing event in York, England who said 97 percent of bettors used cash at the August event
“I think you’re seeing the American business community figure how to conduct business virtually. That’s going to take a while to get back.”
—Tim Wilmott, former CEO of Penn National Gaming Inc., on the slow return to normalcy for business in the U.S.
“We believe that is arousing among Brazilians a feeling that it is necessary to reopen casinos in the country to leverage not only tourism, but mainly to create more jobs and increase tax collection.”
— Antonio Carlos Farias Nunes, writer and blog editor, calling for the reopening of the gaming sector in Brazil
“If the disease continues on its pace, it would be quite likely that at least some of these hotels may not be able to survive.”
—Bruce Mizrach, economics professor, New Jersey’s Rutgers University, on the potential demise of Atlantic City hotels
“Everybody has to worry about it, but you can’t really stay home.”
—Dino Rio, of Yolo County, California, who chose to visit Cache Creek Casino Resort despite the pandemic and wildfires that have killed five people in the region
“Welcome to the Death Star, where our opponents’ dreams come to die.”
—Mark Davis, owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, welcoming his team to their new home at Allegiant Stadium
“The project was only a dream… Now that dream is almost reality. The decision is in your hands.”
—Jim McGlothlin, founding partner of Hard Rock casino project proposed for Bristol, Virginia. Voters will make the decision on November 3
“The bottom line is, people don’t come to Vegas for the secondhand smoke.”
—Bronson Frick, American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, on a poll showing strong support for a smoking ban on the city’s gaming floors
“By applying capital markets technology and market structure to the U.S. sports betting ecosystem, we are creating something revolutionary.”
—Alexander Kane, Sporttrade CEO, speaking about creating the first betting exchange in the U.S.
“Let’s hope that this latest flip-flop is the last in Illinois, as it’s turned into its own game of Russian table tennis.”
—Brendan Bussmann, Global Market Advisors, on Governor J.B. Pritzker’s decision to rescind an order requiring sports bettors to register for online accounts in a casino
“The iGaming business was a significant beneficiary of the shutdown, with revenues in the second quarter increasing 250 percent over the prior year.”
—Todd Cravens, president and CEO, Galaxy Gaming, speaking about the success of online gaming during the pandemic
