“All of you policemen there, get out. It’s crawling with usurers, kidnappers. If I pass there and I see you, I will run over you.”
—Rodrigo Duterte, the always quotable Philippine president, reiterating that law enforcement officers are banned from the country’s casinos
“If you look at what has happened in the past three years, the existing casino is growing exponentially month-on-month, and we haven’t even tapped into the international market yet.”
—Thomas Gibbons, CEO, Diamond Fortune, on the potential for growth in the Primorye casino zone in Russia’s Far East
“They do understand that sooner or later they will have to introduce smoking lounges to the existing legislation. I think it will be sorted in due time.”
—Alexander Mishkitblit, deputy CEO, Russian casino operator Diamond Fortune, on his hopes that the government will amend its blanket smoking ban
“With Caesars, we see a lumbering giant trying to fine-tune its strategy in a U.S. gaming market that is largely saturated and highly competitive.”
—Sanford C. Bernstein, in a note indicating that Caesars and its U.S. rivals Las Vegas Sands and Wynn will rely on Macau for growth through 2023
“We don’t hear anything from management. What is the plan? Who will answer our questions?”
—Joseph Noel Napasaran, spokesman for laid-off workers at Imperial Pacific Resort in Saipan. The layoffs took place in the wake of damage from Typhoon Yutu
“Latin America is one of the fastest-growing markets in the industry and estimates suggest that it has moved US$4.9 billion in 2017. The idea of this event is to discuss the regulation of online gaming and specifically sports betting.”
—Sergio Jardim, Clarion Events Brazil, on this week’s Online Gaming Summit in São Paulo
“We had competitors who were looking to come in to the state and capture the surrounding markets, so we looked at our takeovers in York and Morgantown as both an offensive and defensive opportunity.”
—Jeff Morris, vice president of public affairs and government relations, Penn National Gaming, on the reasons for the choices of York and Morgantown for its two Category 4 mini-casino locations
“We’re now giving people a location where they can come do it legally in a safe environment.”
— Craig Sculos, vice president and general manager of Twin River Casino on the first day of sports betting in Rhode Island
“Obviously this is a good issue, because from the information I get, 90 percent of the people who wager, wager illegally. So, I think this is a great way to capture the money that’s going out illegally and also help us with what we have to do with state government.”
—Dominick Ruggerio, president of the Rhode Island Senate over the beginning of sports betting in the Ocean State
“We want to keep Deadwood a competitive gaming destination. A few years ago (2014), we put in craps and roulette for just that reason.”
—Mike Rodman, executive director of the Deadwood Gaming Association, speaking for a proposed initiative to amend the South Dakota constitution to allow sports betting at the state’s casinos
“We’re not for it or against it. We just want to make sure safeguards are in place for those who might have a problem. We’re disappointed that nationally only two or three of the eight states that have legalized it have included funding for problem-gambling services. It’s irresponsible.”
—Diana Good, executive director of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling on the possibility of legalizing sports betting in the state
