“We welcome New Jersey to the exciting sports betting industry. Nevada understands that any success they experience will grow the gaming industry for all of us.”
—Steve Sisolak, Governor of Nevada in response to statements by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy that New Jersey will pass Nevada in total sports betting handle
“It’s not about the man, it’s about the brand and the brand has stood for quality, excellence and service for many many years.”
—Robert DeSalvio, president of Encore Boston Harbor, on the reputation of Wynn Resorts after the departure of disgraced former CEO and founder Steve Wynn
“I hope when I design these places that an elegant couple in a tuxedo encounters a really young couple in jeans and a T-shirt on their way crossing on the staircase. I think that’s an important thing to have happen—I like everybody looking at everybody.”
—Roger Thomas, Wynn Resorts executive vice president design, on his purpose in designing the Encore Boston Harbor, which will open in June
“But why should we trust him as a change agent? If we take him at his word that he had no complicity in covering up Wynn’s misdeeds, then he appears to have been woefully out of touch.”
—Yvonne Abraham, Boston Globe Columnist, commenting on CEO Mike Maddox’s statements that he has led a change of Wynn Resorts’ corporate culture
“One of the things I can tell you about New Hampshire is that we don’t like to hear about what the neighbors are doing. We’re not a ‘Keep Up With The Joneses’ type. We’ll do it because it is in the best interest of New Hampshire citizens.”
— Rep. Timothy Long, of New Hampshire, about the prospects of the Granite State legislature approving sports betting
“After carefully considering the grounds raised in the subject motion, we find that the said reasons and the arguments in support thereof have been amply treated, discussed and passed upon in the subject decision. The additional arguments proffered therein constitute no cogent or compelling reason to modify, much less reverse, it.”
—Philippine Court of Appeals, with the legalese version of “no” to a request from the country’s gaming regulator to deny a casino license to Waterfront
“A lot of good news is coming out of what’s happening right now. We’ve had a lot of bad news and sad news that’s been going on, so this will hopefully give everybody a jolt and help move forward with our plan.”
—Mark Brown, CEO, Imperial Pacific International, who says the struggling Saipan resort is regaining lost ground and investor confidence with its takeover of the Mariana Resort
“They can remove border markers, but they can’t remove five-story hotels and casinos.”
—Hun Sen, Cambodian prime minister, who dislikes casinos but says they “protect the border” from Cambodia’s neighbors
“On Japan, our company has had a team there for roughly six years. We continue to deploy exceptional resources to that market. We expect to win and get a great return on all of it.”
—Jim Murren, chairman and CEO, MGM Resorts International, sounding confident that the company will beat out all comers to build an IR in Japan
“It’s the most Chinese city in Japan.”
—Unnamed source, quoted by Forbes, with yet another reason why Osaka is at the top of the list for one of Japan’s first integrated resort licenses
