“The tribes need to make sure that (mobile) is right for us. The tribes now have an industry that raises $37 billion annually. Before tribal gaming, we were nowhere near this. This is the only thing that’s ever worked to pull tribes out of abject poverty. We cannot make mistakes.”—Victor Rocha, publisher of Pechanga.net, a tribal gaming new roundup, on whether California’s tribes will support mobile sports betting
“It’s great to see another state legalize sports betting. Providing a licensed and regulated alternative to the black market creates jobs and raises vital tax revenue. I think we’ll see more states choosing this path in the months and years ahead.”—Joe Asher, chief executive officer of William Hill US, on the passage of Colorado’s Proposition DD, which legalizes sports betting in the state
“What some either don’t realize or are eager to forget, is that the tribe has been ready with a turnkey development since early 2016.”—Cedric Cromwell, Mashpee Wampanoag tribal chairman arguing that the tribe’s Taunton First Light Casino in Massachusetts remains viable
“On our first weekend, one guy cashed-out almost $23,000 between his regular and parlay bets, where you bet on numerous teams and have to get them all right. We have some pretty big winners, guys coming in to bet five figures every week and sometimes hitting $30,000 for the weekend.”—Matt Pound, assistant operations manager at Chinook Winds Casino in Oregon, which was the first casino in the state to offer sportsbook, beating the state lottery by three months
“The Philippines appears to be far more reluctant than Cambodia to close down POGOs entirely. Those operations contributed nearly US$150 million in taxes and fees last year. POGOs also rent sizable amounts of commercial office space in Manila, and a sudden closure of operations would have a deleterious effect on the commercial real estate sector.”—Andrew Klebanow, Global Market Advisors, on why President Rodrigo Duterte may be reluctant to toe Beijing’s line and get rid of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) that serve the mainland Chinese
“By sheer numbers, we’re wasting three years. It’s a three-year process and that’s three years that other states will leapfrog us and pass us by. We lose that revenue, that educational funding and jobs.”—Joseph Addabbo, New York state senator and online betting proponent. In New York, a constitutional amendment on gambling must pass in two consecutive legislative sessions before going on a ballot referendum the following year
“By far, the most important thing in the quarter were the sports wagering agreements we signed. To some extent, we got lucky on this. The Supreme Court a little over a year ago approved sports wagering in states other than Nevada, and now two of the states that opted to pass enabling legislation were Indiana and Colorado. And we happen to have casinos in those two places.”—Dan Lee, CEO, Full House Resorts, a small operation that got lucky with its portfolio, with five properties in Nevada, Colorado, Mississippi and Indiana
“This is well overdue. We will continue to lead the way and ensure that it’s clear in our regulations that we hold gaming licensees to the high standards outlined in our state’s public policy.”—Sandra Douglass Morgan, chairwoman, Nevada Gaming Control Board, who says stiffer rules on workplace conduct will keep Nevada the “gold standard” for employee protection
“We’re very fortunate that not all states are opening up at once, because that would provide an advantage to the groups that have a bigger balance sheet.”—Sam Swanell, CEO, Australian sportsbook operator PointsBet, on his plan to break into the exploding U.S. market
“It was kind of a perfect storm for me earning a good wage, having a lot more disposable income and having these highly addictive mediums available to me. … I don’t just blame myself anymore because I’ve seen the bigger picture of how it wasn’t just my fault.”—Alex Macey, UK police officer who lost £250,000 gambling. Macey says the industry bears some of the responsibility because it exploits gamblers
“If you’re a big company and you have this many layoffs, you have to give people enough of a chance so they don’t have their life uprooted.”—Christian Gabroy, attorney, on the mass layoffs of employees at Red Rock Resorts’ Kaos at the Palms in Vegas. A class-action suit contends that Red Rock was obligated to give workers 60 days’ notice
“Sure, the hoteliers had to work hard to gain market share as we increased revenue year after year. But this year is the first time where the market shrinks and the pie is smaller.”—Stephane de Montgros, director and cofounder, Stelliers, formerly the Hoteliers Awards, who called 2019 a challenging year after 15 years of “nonstop growth”
“I’ve never seen anything like it.”—Sanjay Patel, owner of the Connecticut market where a UK gambler bought hundreds of thousands of tickets trying to win a $25.8 million jackpot
“The Race for a Japan Casino License Is Now MGM Resorts’ to Lose.”
—The Motley Fool, saying MGM has the inside track for an Osaka IR license now that Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands have withdrawn from the city
“I want to buy another home out here somewhere with some space, and I’d like to put a German shepherd obstacle course in.”
—Phil Maloof, of the Maloof casino family, on why he sold his 6,000-square-foot penthouse near the Vegas Strip for $12.5 million—it was for the dogs
“The accessibility to all forms of gambling has increased with the internet, with legislative changes, with casinos, with gambling and the close proximity to Atlantic City. It’s certainly a great temptation for problem gamblers to continue their addiction.”—Daniel Messina, MD, Gamblers Treatment Program at Richmond University Medical Center on Staten Island, New York
“I’m going to get a bigger TV so I can watch my favorite wrestling matches.”—Ernest Dodson, 70-year-old U.S. Army veteran who won more than $275,000 in the North Carolina Lottery. Dodson paid $1 for the ticket—on Veterans Day
“You’re not beating them over the head with content. If they’re interested, they can go to that feed.”—Jim Mattson, Fox Home Team Sports vice president, on how his company handles betting data
“My mom almost voted no and I had to call her and talk to her. My dad fortunately helped me in convincing her. I was sweating bullets. I woke up in the middle of the night.”—Peter Jennings, fantasy-sports legend, on the sports betting referendum that narrowly passed in Colorado
