“I’ve been in favor of legalizing sports betting forever. People had this image of it as being this shady world when, in reality, most of it is not. These are, for the most part, regular people.”
—Mike Greenberg, host of “Bettor Days,” a new program from ESPN+ now airing from a new Las Vegas broadcast studio
“The people of the Marianas have survived colonial occupation, war, catastrophic typhoons and economic collapse. We will survive IPI.”
—Tina Sablan, CNMI legislator, on Saipan’s troubled casino operator, which is unable to pay its bills or license fees
“The NBA is so driven to capitalize on legalized sports gambling that it ignores the glaring conflict of Michael Jordan’s equity stake in a betting company: Hasn’t he had serious gambling issues? And why would the league let it happen?”
—Jay Mariotti, Barrett Sports Media, on a new deal between the NBA legend and the global sportsbook
“As part of the social and economic freedoms that can be afforded to any citizen by its government, the governing entity shouldn’t dictate how people get to spend their own hard-earned cash.”
—Takuma Tanaka, in a column advocating expanded legal gambling in Japan
“One person out of two is a gambler in France, and there are an estimated 1.4 million problem gamblers. Preventing excessive or pathological gambling is a public health issue to which I attach the utmost importance.”
—Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, president, Autorité Nationale des Jeux, which replaced Autorité de Régulation des Jeux en Ligne as France’s gaming regulator
“When people schedule a vacation, they’re thinking about what buffets they’re going to go to. Buffets will start to creep back.”
—Anthony Curtis, publisher, Las Vegas Advisor, who says casino buffets are “part of the firmament of what makes Las Vegas Las Vegas”
“There’s got to be tight restrictions on this. We’re not gonna turn our neighborhoods into the Las Vegas Strip.”
—Lori Lightfoot, Chicago mayor, on what’s needed before a sportsbook can go near Wrigley Field
“We are a rodeo city, and we’ve roped a big one.”
—Betsy Price, Fort Worth mayor, on the National Finals Rodeo’s 2020 move from Las Vegas to Arlington, Texas
“As long as there is no vaccine available, there will remain substantial risk of contracting Covid-19. … Our health care system cannot handle another surge.”
—Jonathan Nez, president, Navajo Nation, on mandated weekend business shutdowns and daily curfews among tribal members
