“Public doubt was one of the reasons why it took so long before New Hampshire was able to establish the first modern lottery in U.S. history in 1963. People were rightly dubious about something long associated with shady bookies and organized crime.”—New Hampshire Union Leader, criticizing the state lottery’s decision to keep secret the identities of the 13 sports betting bidders because of “the confidential nature” of the process
“They’re some real first-class outfits. So we’re looking forward to combing through it. It’s a lot of reading. It’s thousands and thousands of pages. So we’re going to examine what’s best for the state.”—Charlie McIntyre, director, New Hampshire Lottery, on the 13 bids the lottery received in answer to its RFP to operate sports betting in the Granite State
“I have deep reverence, deep respect for the NCAA and college athletics. I just think the system has been perverted, and this is fundamentally about rebalancing things. It’s about equity, it’s about fairness, and it’s about time.”—Gavin Newsom, California governor, on signing Senate Bill 206 that bans the NCAA from barring a university from competition if its athletes are paid
“This is a game-changer for student-athletes and for equity in sports. Athletes at every level deserve to be empowered and to be fairly compensated for their work, especially in a system where so many are profiting off of their talents.”—LeBron James, on a new law in California that bars the NCAA from punishing universities for allowing college athletes to profit from their likenesses and names
“His insights on how we got here and where we are going will be invaluable to G2E’s attendees.”—Bill Miller, president, American Gaming Association, on former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s upcoming keynote address at G2E
“The use of the Wire act to create new federal crimes is the type of creative interpretation of the law that you, I, and others have properly criticized when done by other federal agencies and federal courts.”—Ron Paul, former presidential candidate, railing against attempts to have the feds shut down online gaming through a reversal of the 1961 Wire Act
“I think where we can actually surpass traditional sports is that most traditional sports are spectator sports, they’re not participant sports. We’re more like golf in that most of the people who are watching are also playing and have the ability to play and enjoy it.”—Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard, telling CNBC why gaming will surpass traditional sports in viewership
“We need to treat gambling the same as alcohol and smoking addictions have been treated in the past—as public health problems.”—Bailie Annette Christie, Glasgow councilor, on the need to approach problem gaming differently than in the past
“The potential bidders that put forward the greatest understanding of the market and ability to grow those areas for Japan will have the best shot at securing a license. We still have roughly a year before the local race begins so there is lots of game to be played.”—Brendan Bussmann, director of government affairs, Global Market Advisors, on the quickening Japan IR race
“Privatization is like selling your assets. Let’s say you own an apartment, I’ll sell it but I still want the rental. How can you do that? We have to figure out how.”—Andrea Domingo, chairwoman of the Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), on the possibility of selling the gaming assets of the organization
“We believe that the casino, as an alternative form of tourism, will assist in expanding the island’s tourism period thus fighting seasonality and establishing Cyprus as an all-year destination.”—Craig Ballantyne, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, on the potential of the firm’s upcoming City of Dreams Mediterranean in Cyprus to boost tourism
“You can come, you can ply your trade, you can commit your crimes, but if I catch up with you, it is dead or alive. Preferably dead. Alive I have to feed you. There’s a rice crisis in this country. One mouth less would be good. We’re good friends with everybody, but I will not hesitate even to tell your ambassador that I killed your idiot citizen because he was f****** in my country … To me, you are just another carcass.”—Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine president, in a warning to Chinese kidnappers who have been known to detain debt-ridden gamblers
“The government has declared dry day on October 2, 2019, to pay homage and respect to the Father of the Nation.”—Goa government spokesman, announcing that the Indian state would close all casinos for 24 hours on Gandhi Jayanti, out of respect to Mahatma Gandhi
“These workers live paycheck to paycheck. They can’t plan their lives, they’re getting second jobs and even having to put off having kids.”—Ben Redford, secretary, United Voice casino workers’ union in Melbourne, saying a strike for better conditions could effectively close down the casino
“Sex harassment remains a persistent problem. Employers should be mindful of their responsibility to create a discrimination- and harassment-free work environment and should not be fostering a workplace that allows verbal and physical sexual abuse and harassment.”—Anna Park, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, on allegations that Imperial Pacific Palace on Saipan, a U.S. territory, permitted sexual harassment of female employees by VIPs
“This will have severe consequences for licensed betting companies which dutifully pay their taxes, and ultimately will lead to a decline in government tax revenue to near zero and will halt all investments in sports in Kenya.”—SportPesa, in a statement on its withdrawal from the Kenya gaming market. Betin also quit the jurisdiction
“Poker is about meeting new people; it’s a global game, so anyone can sit down at the table. Everybody is equal at a poker table. … This is just going to be a wonderful place for gaming and the gaming experience.”—Adam Pliska, CEO, World Poker Tour, who is optimistic about the future of tables games in the emerging Japanese market
“The U.S. Congress is taking on the most hated fee in travel.”—Lauren Wolfe, Travelers United, on a bipartisan bill requiring hotel operators to disclose resort fees in their room prices prior to booking
