“They are avid gamblers. So it’s interesting to see all the restrictions they’re putting on the integrated resorts as if that is going to drive a problem, which it definitely won’t.”
—Jan Jones Blackhurst, executive VP of government relations, Caesars Entertainment, who calls Japan the most important new market in 10 years
“This is a devastating, cruel reality. With no clear countermeasure in place, I’m sure the new system will entail similarly serious human rights violations.”
—Yoshifu Arita, lawmaker, on plans to import up to 340,000 foreign workers to Japan, contending that similar programs have resulted in deaths due to unsafe working conditions
“I want to build the world’s greatest integrated resort here.”
—Lawrence Ho, chairman and CEO, Melco Resorts & Entertainment on his ambitious plans for Japan
“Smiling, proactiveness and tolerance dropped more than other aspects, the proactiveness and tolerance decreased about 20 to 30 percent. We don’t assume the reasons, we only reflect the facts.”
—Hannah Koo, Macau Gaming Research Association, on a study that shows the quality of customer service in the market dropped by 11.2 percent in 2018
“Sands, MGM, and U.S.-listed Melco are speculated to be frontrunners. If the climate in Macau darkens for U.S. investors, they might be glad of that refuge.”
—Nisha Gopolan, in an opinion piece on Bloomberg.com suggesting that U.S. casino operators in Macau may shift their focus to Japan
“Universal Studios Singapore is only an hour away by plane. There is bound to be cannibalization between the two if there was a Universal Studios Malaysia.”
—Samuel Yin, Maybank, who says it’s unlikely that Universal will take over Genting Malaysia’s theme park project now that 21st Century Fox has bowed out
“In the name of the handover celebration, public funds, which will be spent across all kinds of activities will be countless. It is worth examining which expenditures may not be necessary.”
—Sulu Sou, Macau lawmaker, concerned that the SAR may go overboard to mark the 20th anniversary of the handover by Portugal next year
“There has been a significant change in both statewide and regional attitudes towards gambling that likely reflects greater satisfaction with the current gambling landscape.”
—Rachel Volberg of University of Massachusetts at Amherst, reporting on changing attitudes on gaming in the Bay State in “Social and Economic Impacts of Gambling in Massachusetts”
“To me, it’s so uphill that I haven’t even heard a whisper of a proponent.”
—Brian Kane, assistant deputy attorney general of Idaho, commenting on the chances that the state might legalize sports betting
“We believe that the integrity fees are likely just an attempt to generate additional revenue for the owners in those leagues.”
—Michael Hartman, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Revenue, on “integrity fees” proposed by Major League Baseball et al if the state legalizes sports betting
“Our customers asked, and we have listened! We are thrilled to announce that our industry-leading Same Day Withdrawals feature is now live ad available to all BoyleSports customers. Our brand new instant-pay-out option allows customers to withdraw their winnings with the click of a button and have it in their account the same day with most transactions only taking a couple of hours.”
—Aoife Heffron, spokesperson for Boylesports on what the company says is the first instant withdrawal feature offered in the UK
