“The casino industry has not only disturbed society and culture of the state but is also polluting the Mandovi River by discharging wastewater into it. We will shift these casinos from Mandovi River and send them into the deep sea.”
—Subhash Velingkar, Goan candidate for Panaji Assembly, who says he will move offshore casinos to the Arabian Sea if he’s elected
“It is expected that when the Japanese IRs do open they will knock Singapore off the second spot.”
—Eli Lee, investment analyst, Bank of Singapore, who agrees that Singapore IRs must “put in a sizable investment” to remain competitive
“I cannot control it, really. I will let it in, but not extortion or drugs.”
—Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine president, who once pledged to stamp out illegal gambling and curtail legal casinos, but now says he “cannot stop” the activity
“The positive out of this is that the governor’s office is engaging on the issue. The previous governor gave no indication that he wouldn’t sign the bill. I think some of these issues could have potentially been addressed last time around if the governor engaged. The governor has a team of folks working on it, and I think we can come to a landing spot.”
—Brandt Iden, Michigan State Representative on his efforts to draft new online gambling bills in the state legislature
“When a game is designed for kids, game developers shouldn’t be allowed to monetize addiction. And when kids play games designed for adults, they should be walled off from compulsive microtransactions. Game developers who knowingly exploit children should face legal consequences.”
—Josh Hawley, U.S. Senator from Missouri on his plan to introduce legislation outlawing the use of loot boxes and other video game devices tied to underage gambling
“The choice is not, should we have sports wagering or not have sports wagering. We do have sports wagering. You could see tax revenue as high as a $100 million or $200 million a year to the state general fund if we authorize sports wagering.”
—Adam Gray, a California lawmaker who argues that sports betting is happening in the Golden State whether it is legal or not
“If it takes more time to get a deal done, I think that’s OK,” he said. “I think it’s more important for the governor to stand strong in his negotiations and get the best deal possible for the state of Connecticut.”
— Rep. Joe Verrengia, co-chairman of the joint legislative committee that oversees gaming in Connecticut on Governor Ned Lamont’s desire to craft a grand bargain that includes all elements of gaming in the state
“We can do sports betting. We can do internet gambling. I’m trying to find a global solution going forward that honors our commitment to the tribes and make sure we do this in a thoughtful way for the next 20 years.”
—Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut, promoting his idea of a grand bargain for gaming in the state
“There may have been a time when casinos made sense for New Hampshire, but that time has without a doubt come and gone.”
—Willis Griffith, a freshman representative in the New Hampshire House, opposing a bill that would authorize two casinos in the Granite State
“Developing and launching a competitive sports betting platform requires a significant investment. Licensing a white-label platform is a costly path, but not nearly as costly as building a product from the ground up… Under this new partnership, though, TSG will bear the majority of that burden. And by the power of its brand, Fox still gets 4.99 percent of the world’s largest public online gambling company with an option to purchase more during the first 10 years. It’s too early to call the asking price a bargain, but it looks like good value from our chair.”
—Columnist Eric Ramsey of Legal Sports Report, on the partnership between Fox Sports and The Stars Group that will offer the Fox Bet sports-betting platform
