“I think IR developments are expanding throughout the world because they are helping to enhance an entire destination’s tourism product and appeal and boosting the economy. However, IRs should be different from destination to destination, so each gaming jurisdiction shall have its own social, cultural and political background.”
—Paulo Martins Chan, director, Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, on the growing appeal of true integrated resorts
“They have no skin in the game, they have no risk. Simply because they are providing the same product they were providing yesterday, they would like to collect an excise tax of 1 percent. It is truly unfair… It is all about what we call, for the lack of better term, a money grab.”
—Analyst Andrew Klebanow of Gaming Market Advisors, to CalvinAyre.com on the sports leagues’ proposals for an integrity fee on sports wagers
“There’s a difference between it being legal under the laws of the United States and the states and being permitted under our rules. Betting on baseball is absolutely prohibited under our rules and will continue to be prohibited.”
—Bryan Seeley, vice president of investigations, compliance and security for Major League Baseball, suggesting to ESPN that the legalization of sports betting does nothing to change the league’s stance on its lifetime ban of Pete Rose for gambling on baseball
“You look at Japan: it will probably be the second biggest casino market in the world once it is up and running, and they are adopting this apparently as one of the main pillars of their responsible gambling strategy. It is disconcerting.”
—Kahlil Philander, gaming researcher, on the unproven hypothesis that casino entry fees work to deter addiction
“It’s hard for them to plan their future when every year they are not sure if they are going to get renewed or do not know what’s going to happen. A lot of them were just exhausted from that uncertainty—quite a few of them have already left.”
—Bertha Leon Guerrero, human resources official, Imperial Pacific International, on the problems facing foreign workers at IPI on Saipan Island
“The devil’s in the details. We don’t know what the state of California is going to do.”
— Haig Papaian Jr., chief executive officer of Commerce Casino, on the possibility of legalizing sports betting in the Golden State
“I think the tribes are going to stand on the principle that only we operate full casino-style gaming in the state.”
—Steve Stallings, chairman of California Nations Indian Gaming Association, on the proposed legalization of sports betting in the state
“This is one of those products that I think pushes us to where the future is.”
—John Taylor, chairman of Twin River, on how the addition of sports betting could widen the appeal of Rhode Island’s casinos
“Approve casinos and resorts, facilitate the development of national and theme parks, and encourage the construction and structuring of marinas and tourist ports.”
—Vinicius Lummertz, Brazil tourism minister, on his three-pronged plan to double the country’s 6 million annual international visitors
“A committee asked me what I’m going to invest. I said if you give me a big plot of land in front of the Tokyo Imperial Palace, I’m going to invest $50 billion. If they give me a remote island I may consider $500 million.”
—Andrew Ho, executive director, Suncity Group, the Macau junket operator which is expanding into operations and may bid on a Japan casino license
“Macau and Hong Kong will become brother and sister and so you’ll then start to see integration between both cities. In the past, it has been difficult getting people on the ferry and then offloading them. The bridge will change all of that.”
—Allan Zeman, non-executive chairman, Wynn Macau, who says the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will be a “game changer” for Macau tourism
“Despite serious problems being revealed, the Abe cabinet is pushing ahead with TPP and casinos, becoming increasingly out of control in its behavior.”
—Yukio Edano, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, who says he will fight a snap general election to prevent passage of the IR Implementation Bill
“We cannot let anyone go to the bakery to buy a loaf of bread and come back having spent money in slot machines.”
—Jair Bolsonaro, precandidate for president of Brazil, who opposes casinos in principle but says they may be legalized on a state-by-state basis
“I did not want to do anything that would jeopardize how Japanese regulators see my other activities. Given that my main focus is Japan, I said let’s quickly clean that up.”
—Lawrence Ho, chairman and CEO, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, on one of the reasons he bowed out of the gaming market in Vladivostok, Russia
“Admissions have been in long term and consistent decline and we are no longer operating profitably. This decision has not been taken lightly and club closures are always a last resort, however Grosvenor Bradford has been challenged for some time and has reached a point where it is no longer viable to continue trading. We will be working with all our team members in Bradford to help them at this difficult time; including investigating other potential opportunities within the Rank Group.”
—Debbie Husband, National Operations Director for Grosvenor Casinos on the announced closing of the Grosvenor Bradford UK casino, which employs 69 people
