“When I was an entry-level manager, there was an attendant that could have been my grandmother. And she stopped me and said, ‘I am so proud of you.’ This amazing lady didn’t know my name, she didn’t know what I did for a living. All she saw that there was someone who looked like her, wearing a suit. That meant something for her.”
—Jacqueline Grace, senior vice president and general manager of Tropicana Atlantic City, on the rise of minority women to executive ranks in gaming
“What we’re seeing right now in the business is revenues and volumes that I haven’t seen in years. The month of March has been incredible. We blew past, almost doubled, what we saw for Super Bowl within the first two days of March Madness.”
—Jay Snowden, CEO, Penn National Gaming, on the strong recovery at its brick-and-mortar properties
“There are 5,000 slot machines just across the river that pull people out of this state every day. Historical racing machines are competitive and they’ll keep our people and our tax dollars here.”
—Bill Carstanjen, CEO, Churchill Downs, on a plan to introduce historical horse racing machines at racetracks in Kentucky
“I think people are desperate to get out of their houses and go anywhere. When people come for conventions, they often add a day to their trips.”
—Pam Robinson, Nevada Commission on Tourism, on the return of conventions to Las Vegas
“This guy has bankrupted every casino he’s ever run. How do you bankrupt a casino? I don’t think we need a failed casino.”
—Joseph Geller, Florida House of Representatives, scoffing at the notion of a casino at the Trump National Doral resort in Miami
“The human race was meant to be entertained, not bored. Coronavirus has taken a real toll on everyone. But now there’s hope; we can see it.”
—Melonie Johnson, president, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, on the return of live sports betting during March Madness
“We’re going to get drunk, watch the games and chill out with the boys. Doesn’t get much better than that, does it?”
—Jonathan Price, Atlantic City sports bettor, who says fans are “owed a March” after the cancellation of NCAA basketball last year
“Success has 1,000 fathers, failures and orphans, so naturally, everybody was a visionary. But it certainly worked out. The way to look at it is at this point, the population of Las Vegas, when gambling became legal, was a little over 5,000. There are probably that many people in the Spaghetti Bowl right now.”
—Michael Green, associate professor, UNLV Department of History, on the legalization of gambling in Nevada, 90 years ago
