“The decision of Landing International to locate here is another vote of confidence for our city and should help sustain our growth momentum as one of the most dynamic economic centers in the Philippines, if not the entire Southeast Asian region.”
—Edwin Olivarez, mayor, Parañaque City, Philippines, on NayonLanding, the $1.5 billion resort project that was all but cancelled the day of its groundbreaking
“Thank you for investing in our country, and we look forward to a very long future together.”
—Patricia Ocampo, former chairman, Nayong Pilipino Foundation, who was fired shortly after she made this statement at the groundbreaking of NayonLanding
“With $10 maximum bets versus $5 everywhere else, 24-hour trading and a highly sophisticated loyalty scheme, is it any wonder that Crown Melbourne’s machines are 65 percent more lucrative each year than the average across Victoria?”
—Tim Costello, Alliance for Gambling Reform, on the $450 million lost by Aussie gamblers at Crown Resorts
“He’s on our payroll. He’s got some very good history with the company, he’d done a lot of things before he was working in VIP.”
—Ken Barton, Crown Resorts CFO, confirming that Jason O’Connor is back at work at the company. O’Connor spent 10 months in a Shanghai jail for illegally promoting gambling on the mainland
“We have seen the president curse a lot of times but this time, he was like a fire-breathing dragon. He was very angry with what happened to Nayong Pilipino.”
—Harry Roque, spokesman for Rodrigo Duterte, on the Philippine president’s fury when he heard claims that developers of the proposed IR were on the receiving end of an overly generous land lease
“If a child is born today, 75 years later he is that old, and still there will gambling in this city. I will not allow it.”
—Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine president, on disputed reports that Landing International received a casino license term of 75 years
“Instead of playing games with confidential cabinet documents, the Attorney General should focus on implementing the recommendations from the German Report and pursuing charges against those who have broken the law.”
—British Columbia Opposition House Leader Mary Polak, criticizing a proposal by Attorney General David Eby for acquiring confidential cabinet documents of the previous government related to money laundering at BC casinos
“Having a casino in this township will destroy it,” Lara said. “What you have here is a gem. What you all have here — this township, this country — is gold.”
— Cesar Lara, a resident of South Middleton, Pennsylvania, arguing against a mini-casino proposed for the town
“We are lifting the industry by expecting and supporting excellence from all of our suppliers. While much of the industry works from a bottom-up model, we have intentionally flipped that to focus on high-quality and hand-curated products that reflect the Tulalip brand.”
—Jonathan Teeters, assistant general manager of the Remedy Tulalip recreational cannabis store operated by Washington’s Tulalip Tribes
“In my opinion, it is only a matter of time before online gaming becomes legal in Australia. That’s the logical step to avoid losing valuable tax revenue to offshore operators and it’s what the Productivity Commission has recommended.”
—Sudhir Kalé, GamePlan Consultants founder at the Gaming, Racing and Wagering Australia conference in Sydney
