“It’s always been one of the top five beach islands of the world and we truly want to be part of it and make sure we would be able to elevate it back to the same position as before.”
—Francis Lui, Galaxy International, who says a casino on the Philippine island of Boracay would “invigorate” the brand. President Rodrigo Duterte has banned casinos there
“You sons of bitches. Nayong Pilipino, you will give it to the Chinese for gambling? And there is no bidding. I told them to leave, all of them. This is why there are new appointees. Stupid.”
—Rodrigo Duterte, on new appointments to the Nayong Pilipino Foundation. Last year the Philippine president fired the previous board over alleged preferential dealings with a casino developer
“With our expansion, upgraded amenities, new outdoor space and user-friendly connectivity packages, we provide our convention customers an enhanced meeting experience with more options. I’m proud that many of our clients consider MGM Grand their home in Las Vegas, and I look forward to sharing our new look and feel.”
—Ernest Stovall, vice president of sales for MGM Grand in Las Vegas on the completion of MGM Grand’s $130 million, 250,000-square-foot Conference Center
“With approximately only a couple hundred legal options to place a bet in the U.S., the level of sophistication to fix a game where a player might play two innings and to place max wagers at 200-plus sportsbooks without attracting attention is virtually impossible. The costs associated with attempting to fix a spring training game in the U.S. would likely be better invested in a savings account.”
—Columnist John Holden of Legal Sports Report on the uselessness of Major League Baseball’s push to ban legal betting on spring training games
“I understand the argument to be made that it is a casino game, but 30 years ago there wasn’t iPhones and the technology that exists today. If that technology existed 30 years ago, it wouldn’t be a casino game because you wouldn’t have to go to a casino.”
—Rep. Joe Verrengia of Connecticut, arguing that sports betting shouldn’t be considered a casino game, and subject to tribal exclusivity
“Look at everything that we have built in Las Vegas, and this city and everybody who has built it found ways to make that happen. As long as this continues to make sense, I believe that we will figure out how to make it happen.”
—Steve Hill, chief executive officer of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, on the feasibility of a people moving underground transit system to serve the city’s convention center and built by Elon Musk
“Anyone can get to the ballot, that was never the challenge. You’ve got to get to the ballot with something that can win.”
—Russell Lowery, a consultant for Californians for Sports Betting, which tried to qualify a sports betting initiative for the California ballot
