“I would say we’re beyond optimistic about the Philadelphia market in particular because of the vaccine. We’re excited that by the end of December I think 15, 20 million people, will have the vaccine and each month it will get bigger and bigger.”
—Eric Fitzgerald, general manager of Rivers Casino Philadelphia, who hopes to get back to business as usual in 2021
“We feel very bullish on Atlantic City because of the vaccine. It’s going to be a good thing. We believe that we can have the best summer that we’ve ever had and the best fall that we’ve ever.”
—Steve Callender, president, Casino Association of New Jersey
“I feel so much pain to have lost my job, to not be able to pay my bills like I used to. I feel powerless. We don’t want to depend on unemployment. We want to be called back to work.”
—Norma Flores, Las Vegas casino worker, who spent 20 years working as a waitress at the Fiesta before losing her job in March
“There is an urgency to adopt sports betting that has frankly taken us by surprise. It’s happening faster than we had imagined.”
—Adam Greenblatt, CEO, BetMGM, who says the U.S. will be the “biggest regulated market in the world” for iGaming
“Once the Keynesian stimulus runs out at the end of this month, the CNMI will need businesses determined to weather the storm.”
—Donald Browne, CEO, Imperial Pacific International, who refutes widespread allegations of wrongdoing by the casino operator in Saipan
“Although we’re celebrating our holiday gift giving a bit differently this year, right now is especially important for us to continue to give back to our local community.”
—Rob Cinelli, general manager, Sycuan Casino Resort of California, which donated $70,000 to 21 local charities during the holiday season
“We cannot insist that they wear a mask, that’s a concern. Most people do have a mask, but some people don’t want to cover their face correctly. They’re wearing the mask barely covering their lips or they pull it down to talk to us. … Most of them are considerate, but some passengers aren’t. … I just have to hope the protection that I am using is good enough.”
—Becky Esquivel, American Federation of Government Employees, which represents Transportation Safety Administration employees at McCarran International Airport. More than 100 TSA employees have tested positive for Covid-19 since March
“We are now seeing some positive signs and prospects are slightly better for recovery, but there is still a long way to go. One thing is certain, the world will be different after this pandemic.”
—Luis Felipe de Oliveira, director-general, Airport Councils International World, who says air traffic will not return to 2019 levels until 2023
“We’re quite confident in our position. We’re the only operator utilizing our own proven technology, not third-party system. With (that and) the customer pace provided by the (MGM Resorts) M life program, we have a tremendous reach.
—Shay Segev, president and CEO, Entain PLC (formerly GVC Holdings), predicting that BetMGM, the company’s joint sports betting venture with MGM Resorts International, is on track to become the leading operator in the U.S.
“We brought so much revenue, so much business and profit for Crown. And we were just dumped like a used napkin. That’s why I feel so angry—I feel so upset with what happened and what they’re saying about me.”
—Jenny Jiang, former administrative worker for Crown Resorts who was among 19 staffers arrested and jailed in China in 2016 for illegally promoting casinos; when Jiang sued for damages, Crown labeled her a “gold-digger”
“Not often does inner-city oceanfront land open up. We have one chance to get this right.”
—Marty Small, mayor of Atlantic City, on ridding the resort of Trump Plaza’s rotting structure
This tremendous tax revenue could be just what California needs to survive its current struggles from the pandemic. Maybe, just maybe, the dollar signs will win out and gambling tax revenue can start supporting California.”
—Mason Jones, iGaming industry specialist, on the possibility that a sports betting measure could appear on California’s ballot in 2022
“They are job creators, they hire a lot of additional employees, they have tremendous purchasing power. But they are also tremendous generators of tax revenue.”
— Andy Abboud, lobbyist for the Las Vegas Sands Corp., urging Texans to allow up to five destination casino resorts in the Lone Star State
