“It’s hard not to be emotional, but you have to make decisions for other reasons sometimes, and we did. It was an opportunistic sale for us. Had we not gone through the Covid mess, we probably wouldn’t have done it.”
—Rob Goldstein, Las Vegas Sands chairman and CEO, on the $6.25 billion sale of the firm’s Vegas assets to Apollo Global Management and Vici Properties
“It’s no secret that the New South Wales Police identify for the Star casino who they think is at risk of being a money launderer and should not be allowed in the casino. Change the law. We’ll ban those people too.”
—Josh Landis, CEO, ClubsNSW, telling Aussie regulators to end the “tipping-off” rule, which bars casinos that have banned people for suspected money laundering from sharing their identities with other gaming venues
“Madam High Commissioner, is a proscribed protest disrupting public order and abusing public health measures a constitutional exercise of the peaceful assembly?”
—An Sokkhoeurn, Cambodian UN emissary, on Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s characterization of the NagaWorld Casino protest as “a lawful strike.” Cambodian officials say the gathering is a potential Covid-19 health risk
“This is a great place to visit. You’re not going to get mugged walking down the streets of Brisbane, it’s safe and secure. It’s such a good story, we just have to try and tell it.”
—John O’Neill, Star Entertainment CEO, inviting tourists to return to Queensland, Australia, as the borders begin to reopen
“This is going to be the biggest, baddest, greatest, most expensive of all time. We expect ballot measure expenditures to be galactic.”
—David McCuan, Sonoma State University professor, on the battle to bring sports betting to California. Tribes and sportsbooks are expected to spend millions to sway voters
“Now is not the time for the state to revert to bullying and greed.”
—Matt Pagels, president, Seneca Nation, on the tribe’s lingering dispute with the state over gaming payments being held in escrow
