“May I call the government corporate counsel now? Are you here? If you are here, you show yourself to me. You are fired. I don’t need you. You fool.”
—Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine president, who last month fired government corporate counsel Rudolf Philip Jurado for granting a 75-year casino license to the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport
“James and I are still very, very good friends. We consider ourselves brothers and I think it was just at a point in time where James wanted to focus on his domestic Australian assets and I wanted to continue to grow.”
—Lawrence Ho, chairman and CEO, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, on former venture partner James Packer. Ho said he “wouldn’t hesitate for a second to partner with him again”
“I have been approached by some of the world’s most successful entertainment companies keen to invest in Queensland. But we’re working to make sure we get the balance right for Queenslanders.”
—Kate Jones, Queensland tourism minister, who will visit Macau and Las Vegas to learn more about integrated resort management
“So long as Elaine Wynn remains the largest shareholder, we’re confident that nothing can go wrong. After all, it’s only 4.9 percent. We’re just here to receive dividends.”
—Lui Che-Woo, Galaxy Entertainment founder and chairman, refuting talk that his company plans a takeover of Wynn Resorts. Galaxy just bought 5.3 million Wynn shares at $175 a pop
“You know we operate a casino in Jeju, and we can tell you, if it’s a foreign-only casino, you can never get any of your money’s worth.”
—Estella Tuason-Occeña, Bloomberry Resorts CFO, on Wakayama Governor Yoshinobu Nisaka’s stance that Japan IRs should not be limited to foreigners only
“I do not want to get ahead of big presumptions to assume that the Implementation Bill is passed until it is. I am still 56 and will be patient for years to come.”
—Jim Murren, chairman and CEO, MGM Resorts International, counseling patience for gaming operators itching to get into Japan
“As a statesman, he should tell the truth fair and square.”
—Yasunori Kagoike, charged in a shady land sale involving Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, demanding that the PM own up to his part
“We are not the morality police. Yes, there are some people with gambling addictions and other problems. We have to make sure we are cognizant of that. But everyone makes their own decisions.”
—Kris Theilen, Springfield, Illinois alderman, arguing for a casino in the city
“There’s estimates that there’s a hundred billion to four hundred billion dollars of illegal or illicit activity going on with sports betting around the world.”
—Red Sox President Sam Kennedy speaking to the New England Sports Network
“It’s more important to get it right than to do it quickly and I think only time will tell if states who have already taken an action will in fact have gotten it right.”
—Robert DeLeo, Massachusetts House, speaker on the need for a deliberate approach to legalizing sports betting
“If we were to move forward without a compact then we would endanger the revenue we already receive from the tribes, so negotiating a compact by its nature is an executive function. Adoption of laws in how that compact would play out is a legislative function.”
—Dannel P. Malloy, governor of Connecticut on negotiating with the tribes before legalizing sports betting
“We remain committed to working with all stakeholders on a uniform, regulated approach to sports gambling. We will continue to collaborate with all states seeking our input on a regulated framework that ensures the protection of our fans and the integrity of our games.”
—Mike Bass, spokesman for the National Basketball Association, urging support for an “integrity fee” for sports betting
“Today, gaming provides $804 million in supported wages and more than half a billion dollars in gaming tax revenues annually across the state (of Ohio). As the industry continues to grow, so, too, do the opportunities for our surrounding communities.”
—American Gaming Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman, on the AGA’s economic impact report on Ohio for a “Get to Know Gaming” event at Miami Valley Gaming
“I’m 100 percent convinced that gaming is going to be the largest entertainment industry in the world, it’s already rivaling some sports and soon it will rival the biggest ones. This type of entertainment is going to dominate the world. It’s going to be the most normal thing on the internet and part of society in a very deep way. There will be more events, more venues, more prize money, more fans and more excitement as well. This is going to be the new normal.”
—Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Electronic Sports League to ESPN
