“We spend hours and hours working on the preparation model for the opening. We’ve done it many times in the past. I feel really good about where we are.”
—Robert DeSalvio, Wynn Resorts spokesman, about the run up to the grand opening of the Encore Boston Harbor on June 23
No one ever said—and I’m new here—that the gaming commission’s job was going to be easy. And on that front, it does not disappoint.”
—Cathy Judd-Stein, recently appointed chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission
“When you exceed the 100-year flood levels, it’s abnormal. We’ll look at it all and determine any ways we need to prepare differently in the future.”
—Principal Chief James Floyd of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation remarking on flood waters that temporarily closed the River Spirit Casino Resort
“We always talked about having water in the river, but not this much. Most of the year you can pretty much walk across the riverbed from here, with most of the water along that west bank.”
—CEO Pat Crofts of the River Spirit Casino Resort, reacting to the rising floodwaters of the Arkansas River that forced the casino to close last week
“When Wynn opens with full-blown electronic gaming and unlimited bets, it’s going to have an impact on charitable gaming facilities in New Hampshire.”
—Harold French, a New Hampshire state senator who has introduced a historic horse racing bill that would benefit charitable gaming and blunt the effects of the Encore Boston Harbor
“Given the competition and inflation, we are worried development prices are getting bid up, which could lead to diminishing returns.”
—Morgan Stanley, in a note on Japan’s in-development integrated resort industry
“In the past, the industry has perhaps encouraged people to spend beyond their means. The industry hasn’t done enough to look after problem gamblers. We need to do more to self-regulate.”
—Richard Flint, executive chairman, Sky Bet, recommending that the UK gaming industry fund treatment centers for problem gamblers
“I feel insulted by what Mr. Flint has said. It minimizes the damage the industry has done to people’s lives. We have gambling companies saying they want to put money into treating gambling addiction, but they don’t want to put money into gambling prevention.”
—Liz Ritchie, founder of Gambling with Lives, whose 24-year-old son committed suicide in 2017 due to a gambling addiction
“This is a cowboy industry which won’t ever learn to be responsible until the NSW government and the regulator breaks free from industry capture and proves they can fearlessly govern this industry to stamp out predatory behavior.”
—Rev. Tim Costello, Alliance for Gambling Reform, who says a pokies club in New South Wales should face big penalties after the suicide of a compulsive gambler
“We propose a technical visit by members of the Tourism Commission to the city of Las Vegas, in the state of Nevada in the U.S., as it is a world reference city in which the exploration of gaming together with its casinos promotes a great tourist attraction.”
—José Airton Félix Cirilo, Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, who thinks lawmakers should see Vegas in action before launching a legal casino industry. Cirilo called Vegas “one of the largest economic poles” in the U.S.
