“Disreputable gaming interests are lobbying hard to spread internet gambling throughout the country. An established Al Qaeda poker network could extract enough untraceable money from the United States in just a few days to fund several 9/11-sized attacks.”
—Voice-over from online video sponsored by the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling, the anti-iGaming lobbying group formed by Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson
“Bally has won more than 80 awards for innovation in the past four years. We will continue to aim to set the bar. Expect a lot of fun stuff.”
—Adrian Halpenny, senior vice president of Australia and Europe for Bally Technologies, in an interview with Yogonet.com
“We believe that this legislation requires an unreasonably onerous commitment of resources and unfairly singles out Atlantic City casino hotels as the only public buildings in the city and state that would be required to comply with it.”
—Kevin Ortzman, Caesars Entertainment executive and president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, on legislation in the state Assembly Tourism and Gaming Committee that would require casinos to install surveillance equipment in throughout hotels and parking garages, a response to a recent assault in a casino garage stairwell
“The future of Northampton’s economic fabric is at risk given the economic and fiscal impact it will endure as a result of the MGM development.”
—Jeffrey I. Fialky, attorney for the city of Northhampton, Massachusetts, arguing that the city should be granted mitigation from being near to the proposed MGM casino resort in Springfield
“In the end, this is a bad idea. This doesn’t come from heaven. It comes from hell. It comes from hell.”
—The Rev. George Szal, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, an opponent of a casino proposed for Revere, Massachusetts
“When you gamble in a casino and you lose, you can just chalk it up to bad luck. When you gamble in real life and lose, a more common reaction is to figure out who to blame.”
—Jon Chesto, writing for the Boston Business Journal about efforts by a landowner in Palmer to discover proof that the Mohegan Sun never intended to try to win a casino initiative vote in Palmer in November
“If you’re the CEO of a multi-billion dollar casino property, like Sands’ Sheldon Adelson, maybe refrain in the future from making comments about ‘dropping a nuclear bomb on Iran, saying strength was the only thing the country understands.’ People who can do fancy things to you with computers are listening.”
?Philebrity.com, slamming Adelson for imprudent public remarks about retaliation against Iran
“I am also not burying my head in the sand. I have recognized that gaming is expanding without our control or direction, and that’s a very dangerous place to be for the state of Florida.”
?Will Weatherford, Florida House Speaker, who personally disapproves of gambling but wants a statewide referendum on the matter
“It’s nice to see cranes flying over the Strip again. There’s been a lot of cash accumulated over the past five years and we’re seeing investors coming in and buying multiple properties and single properties at significant opportunities, and that’s a sign that good things are happening, because those investors are smart. They’re not going to come into a market unless they know they can get a return, so that’s a sign things are moving in the right direction. We’ve seen large investor pools and individual investors; a lot of movement in the last six months.”
? John Wilcox, City National Bank of Nevada, on a slow but steady financial rebound in the Silver State
“If you’re the CEO of a multi-billion dollar casino property, like Sands’ Sheldon Adelson, maybe refrain in the future from making comments about ‘dropping a nuclear bomb on Iran, saying strength was the only thing the country understands.’ People who can do fancy things to you with computers are listening.”
?Philebrity.com, slamming Sheldon Adelson for imprudent public remarks about Iran. Those remarks may have prompted the recent hacking of Sands websites
“When capital is injected into the market, it benefits everybody. Alternative lenders are assisting in repositioning failed projects. This helps stabilize the real estate market, which helps the banks and borrowers in many ways. A good example is the start-up businesses alternative lending has funded in Downtown Las Vegas and the economic resurgence going on there.”
?Bruce Hendricks, CEO, Bank of Nevada, on the rise in investments in Las Vegas, particularly in the Downtown area, which is undergoing a renaissance
“I’m not a lobbyist, I’m a developer. The Senecas negotiated this deal and they have their own lobbyist.”
?David Flaum, Rochester developer, now accused of lobbying unofficially for a fourth Seneca tribal gaming hall in New York State
“Bellator is the toughest tournament in sports, and this partnership will make Attack Poker the toughest, largest, free-to-play poker tournament in the world.”
—Ronald Doumani, managing partner of EMIL Interactive Games LLC, parent company of Las Vegas-based Attack Poker on the company’s new sponsorship deal with Bellator Mixed Martial Arts
