“The ‘NO’ box is a vote for MGM Springfield to work together and not have a third party between us. Please vote ‘NO’ and give all of us the chance to prove to you that we can resolve our issues together.”
—Michael Mathis, president of the MGM Springfield casino in Massachusetts, urging security officers to reject a union organizing vote
“We are deeply frustrated by the lack of action by authorities to curb these overt illegal activities and support the efforts of tribes to seek resolution in the courts.”
—Anthony Roberts, chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, calling on the state of California to enforce state laws governing card clubs
“These tribes continually make false statements about the legality of our business in an effort to shut down the cardroom industry, which supports our cities and provides living wage jobs to thousands of people,”
—Ryan Stone, a card room owner in California complaining about contentions by the state’s gaming tribes that card rooms violating state law against offering banked card games
“This means that they all think that e-games as we know them now, will have disappeared in five, maybe even before five years. Because then VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) will play a much more important role and will more or less have taken over technology-wise. This explains the fact that there is the clear tendency that we say it’s premature to speak about the inclusion of such games into the Olympic program. If you were to include one of these games we know now for ’24, the young generation in ’24 may say, This has been played by my grandfather. What is this?’ ”
—Thomas Bach, IOC president to the Japan Times on advice the IOC has gotten from eSports experts on the quickly changing technology of eSports
“Card clubs were all profitable before they started with these practices and they will be profitable afterwards.”
—Steven Stallings, chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, calling on the state to clamp down on card clubs that offer illegal banked card banks
“The shroud of internet anonymity coupled with loose regulatory policies may leave the industry susceptible to fraud and other illicit activities associated with high-stakes gambling.”
—Leila de Lima, Philippine senator, calling for a probe of casinos and in particular live-streamed table games featuring scantily-clad women
“We continue to recommend investors own LVS as the way to play the Macau structural growth story.”
—Morgan Stanley, calling out the Las Vegas Sands Corp. as a growth leader in Macau (and a good bet to win a concession renewal)
“It is important to remember that this liberation can generate more than 300,000 jobs in the country as well as benefits to the economy and the entire tourism chain should there be integration of resorts with casinos.”
—Joseph Levy, CEO, PMU Brasil, on the economic potential of expanded gaming in Brazil
“At a personal level, Okada Manila appears to be Okada’s response to his expulsion from Wynn, sung to the tune of ‘Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better.’”
—Muhammad Cohen, Forbes, in a story about the rivalry between former friends and rival casino titans Steve Wynn and Kazuo Okada
“Enough mud has been thrown to ensure that some of it sticks, and regulators generally do not like to entertain people of dubious repute.”
—David Green, Newpage Consulting, who says Kazuo Okada’s claim that he was ousted from his company, Universal Entertainment due to a frame-up was “written by someone with a rich imagination”
“Unlike Steve Wynn, who I believe will return for Act III, I do not see an Act III for Kazuo Okada.”
—Andrew Klebanow, Global Market Advisors, counting out Okada for a return to power but surprisingly, counting in Wynn
“Big Brother is watching you.”
—Sulu Sou Ka Hou, Macau lawmaker, quoting George Orwell in a debate on facial recognition technologies in casinos
“The rise of crime, especially involving casinos, is now becoming more sophisticated, especially cross-border crimes.”
—Sit Chong Meng, director, Macau Judiciary Police, defending the use of “Eye in the Sky” cameras with facial recognition technologies
“If Kuku isn’t allowed to play, I refuse to cast officially for the major. We all make mistakes and one mistake should not forbid you from playing at a tournament that potentially decides your whole career.”
—Grant Harris, aka “GranDGrantT,” eSportcaster, on the decision to ban player Carlo “Kuku” Palad from a tournament in China for an alleged racist statement
“I am just a maker of baccarat tables.”
— Takayuki Saga, who allegedly developed an illegal digital casino in Japan. The casino reportedly generated US$1.2 million in six months and may have funded the Sumiyoshi-kai yakuza before Saga’s arrest by Tokyo police
“You hear that? It is the ocean. I can finally hear the ocean again. The pub crawls, the bars—that’s not what we need here.”
—Willy Berger, diving instructor on the Philippine island of Boracay, which just reopened to tourists after a six-month cleanup that closed many hotels and casinos
