“The members of the commission and staff of its secretariat will unite and work with a sense of urgency to build trust with the public over casino business.”
—Michio Kitamura, Japan’s Casino Regulatory Commission, reassuring the public about the coming industry’s integrity in the wake of a corruption scandal
“So what are the legislators to do when contemplating gaming expansion? Analyze, analyze and analyze some more the economic impacts of each of the decision options. Take your time to do it, and then strike the proper balance.”
— Rob Heller, CEO, Spectrum Gaming Capital, speaking to the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States at their January conference
“Do we trust Georgians enough to let them make the decision? We’ve talked about this issue here for years. One of these days, we’re either going to have to say we’re going to quit talking, or we’re going to vote it. Whichever way it comes out, it comes out.”
—David Ralston, Georgia’s Speaker of the House, who believes residents should “have the final word” on gambling in the state
“Everything can’t be a priority.”
—Mike Dugan, Georgia’s Senate Majority Leader, who says gambling is not a priority for Senate Republicans
“As I said in my veto letter, if you legalize it, regulate it, just because it’s happening and we know it’s happening, then you might as well legalize and formalize and promote betting on the weather, betting on the next election results, betting on the spelling bee champion of Cumberland County. I don’t think that’s where Maine people are at just yet.”
—Janet Mills, governor of Maine, defending her recent veto of a gambling bill
“Right now we are watching more than $500 million in gaming revenue go across the border to states like Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. It’s time to stop that flow.”
—Andy Beshear, newly elected governor of Kentucky, making his pitch for legal casinos and sports betting in the state
“We already have sports wagering that’s legal in Kentucky. It’s called parimutuel wagering on horse racing, and I think this is just a natural extension of something that’s part of our history, our culture and our tradition.”
—Damon Thayer, Kentucky Senate Majority Leader, who opposes expanded gaming in the state
“The debate over whether sports betting is encompassed in the ban in the Constitution was settled over 130 years ago. That argument is over.”
—Daniel Wallach, sports gaming attorney, who told Kentucky lawmakers the state constitution only bans games of chance, like lotteries
“There are more publications on alcohol abuse than there has ever been on gambling. We’re just beginning to scratch away on gambling.”
—James Whelan, professor of clinical health, University of Memphis
“We hope the Philippines will go further and ban all online gambling, the most dangerous tumor in modern society, detested by people all across the world.”
—Geng Shuang, spokesman, Chinese Foreign Ministry, on China’s unsuccessful appeal to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to forbid iGaming
“We demand a raise for workers. We need to pay rent, and food prices nowadays have also gone up. The company makes a lot of profits.”
— By Kunthea, longtime employee, NagaWorld, Cambodia, who was among those who protested the low pay, reportedly starting at $150 to $250 a month
“It’s a relief to hear that positive steps are being taken and I truly believe it will help current and future problem gamblers who are gambling with money they don’t necessarily have.”
—Eytan Alexander, managing director, U.K. addiction treatment firm UKAT, on an imminent ban on online gambling funded by credit cards
“We’re going to send a check like we always would because we’re required to do that. It’s the law. We’ll wait and see what the state of Oklahoma does and go from there, but we are good faith partners. That won’t change, no matter what he does with the check.”
—Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief, Cherokee Nation, informing Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt that the state’s tribes will pay their share of gaming revenue to the state as usual, despite Stitt’s insistence that their compacts are now invalid
“I’m here to tell you, no contract auto-renews in perpetuity.”
—Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma governor, rebutting the contention of state tribes that their gaming compacts automatically renewed on January 1
“This report shows how completely reliant the industry is on people with gambling problems and that they are profiteering from them.”
—Carolyn Harris, U.K. Labour MP, on a study that indicates VIP gamblers are more likely to be pathological gamblers
“Our industry recognizes the need to change practices in this area, and we will soon publish the terms of a review for a new industry code of conduct. We intend to consult widely on the shape of this new code, to ensure we are always putting the welfare of our customers first.”
—Brigid Simmonds, chairwoman, U.K. Betting and Gaming Council, on new crackdowns on the country’s gaming industry including a ban on credit card use to fund bets
“This is essentially a high-end renovation job.”
—Steven Witkoff, developer, on the construction under way to convert the Fontainebleau on the Las Vegas Strip into the $1.3 billion Drew Las Vegas.
“Baseball has a huge opportunity to do a lot of things in-play because of the way the game is set up. We have some of these little discreet events during a game that some of the other sports just don’t have.”
—Kenny Gersh, MLB executive, on the future of proposition bets in baseball
“If you’re treating sports betting as a taxing issue, you need to understand the other side of balance sheet. Don’t just hand it off to some taxing agency, forget about it and bury your head in the sand. It’s a huge responsibility.”
—John Maloney, attorney who represents gaming tribes California
