“This is such a small thing compared to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. I think the government is not so incompetent that it cannot solve the NagaWorld issue.”
—Ny Sokha, Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association, chastising the government for its seeming inability to resolve a dispute between striking NagaWorld workers and management
“It’s going to be competition based on strong product and not on incentive offers or just on who’s got the biggest bonus. It’s going to be a bit different from what we’ve seen in the United States.”
—Paul Burns, Canadian Gaming Association, on the launch of mobile sports betting in Ontario, where signup bonuses will not be included in advertising
“I will defend, I am in favor of legalization. The world’s economic powers, with the exception of Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, which make up the G20, all have legal gaming, as do the Mercosur countries, with the exception of Brazil. We have to treat gaming as an economic activity, not as custom.”
—Angelo Coronel, Brazilian senator, arguing in favor of a legal gaming industry
“For others who may find themselves looking for casino resort investment opportunities elsewhere, preferably in this Asia-Pacific region, the CNMI can be one of their possible destinations.”
—Andrew Yeom, Saipan’s Commonwealth Casino Commission, hoping gaming operators who are not licensed in Macau will come to the Western Pacific island
“This is part of a long-term narrative where the directors of major companies are not pursued. The stories change, we go from banking to casinos, but we still have the same issue.”
—Helen Bird, corporate governance expert, on the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s decision not to pursue charges against Crown Resorts execs implicated in the money laundering scandal
“They’re not just allegations. In many cases, they’re right. We can’t deny the fact that we did not have robust regimes in place to fight financial crime in particular.”
—Steven Blackburn, Crown Resorts’ chief risk officer, conceding the company was guilty of some allegations lodged by financial crimes watchdog AUSTRAC
“Unfortunately, the plan is still unclear in details and is not convincing as to the fundraising. The committee strongly demands the prefecture show the certainty of the fundraising in the next, i.e., fourth committee meeting.”
—Wakayama, Japan government committee, demanding more details of a proposed $4 billion integrated resort in the prefecture
“We do not expect VIP to ever recover to its 2013/14 levels.”
—Eric Coskun, iGamiX, on the end of VIP business as it once operated in Macau, claiming the sector will contribute much less due to the crackdown on junket operations
“If I had my way, I’d shut down horse racing in a heartbeat, and if I can’t do that, I’d stop you beating and whipping on them. But I’m not going to get into that. I’ve already had that fight.”
—Peter Courtney, Oregon senate president, who opposes horse racing and also supports a bill that would make it illegal to bet on greyhound racing
“What this sports-wagering ballot initiative really does is to surreptitiously destroy competition with California’s cardrooms by granting more rights to tribal casinos—including the right to file a stream of lawsuits against card rooms.”
—Deven Kumar, general manager, Hollywood Park, who opposes a tribal-backed initiative that would legalize California sports betting but shut out card rooms
“This is not the time to approve a project with this content. It is time to fight the pandemic, to discuss the election.”
—Izalci Lucas, Brazilian senator, who is uninterested in a debate about legal gambling in the country
“If we institute this public safety measure, then the skies will fall and we will be ruined.”
—Peter Chen, New Jersey Policy Perspective, on Atlantic City casinos’ fear of a smoking ban
“I get tired of hearing ‘Atlantic City’s going to be great again’ without details.”
—Joe Lupo, president, Hard Rock Atlantic City, on unkept promises of change in the shore resort
