“Now the Revel stands like an awkward teenager, its countless windows shimmering in the sun, a shiny, white elephant. The Revel’s 57 stories make it the tallest building in Atlantic City. It is an impossible-to-ignore monument to folly, as revenues at all of the 12 casinos here continue to slide.”
—Kevin Cullen, writing for the Boston Globe, commenting on gambling in Atlantic City, and how that city’s lessons could apply to Massachusetts
“Most of those who vote on the casino question won’t take a drive around the city. Many of them could not even find it without GPS. Springfield’s future is largely in the hands of people who live east of Worcester. That is an unsettling thought.”
—Ron Chimelis, writing for the Republican, commenting on the fact that statewide voters will be able to decide the fate of Springfield’s casino
“I think the question is going to be voted down, meaning I think that people will retain the system we have in place which is one that says a limited expansion in the Commonwealth with the ability of local communities to decide whether it’s right for them.”
—Deval Patrick, governor of Massachusetts, predicting that the initiative that would repeal gaming in the state will be voted down in November
“Upon reflection on Tuesday, I have three things to be thankful for after I had some time to think about it. One, was that I didn’t have this speaking engagement on Tuesday because for two hours I was curled up in the fetal position in my hotel room.”
—MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis, reacting to news that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that a measure repealing the Bay State’s casino law could go on the November ballot
“The bid to streamline and simplify the process of tribal recognition encourages leaders of native groups and bands currently frozen out of federal programs. But they have to contend with existing tribes who fear having to share territory, resources or casino customers.”
—Tom Banse, writing for NPR about the Bureau of Indian Affairs proposed rules for determining how the federal government recognizes a tribe
“I first came to Las Vegas on a bus in 1955 and remember seeing Gorgeous George performing in a casino. He was a professional wrestler and I don’t even remember what he was doing, I guess telling jokes. At the time, the only lights on the Strip were from the Flamingo and five little casinos.”
?David Siegel, CEO, Westgate Resorts, the new owner of LVH, the former Las Vegas Hilton
“We feel like we’re the students who are overly prepared for the tests. We believe in this process, and we trust there’s going to be a fair outcome.”
?Charles Degliomini, Empire Resorts, which is bidding to build a $750 million casino in the Catskills
“Sullivan County is poised to play a central role in this new industry and develop the type of destination that will make expanded gaming a success in New York. … We believe in Sullivan County and are confident that our premier brand and unmatched guest service and hospitality can stimulate its long awaited revival.”
?Mitchell Etess, CEO, Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, on the tribe’s bid to build a casino in the Catskills
“The whole concept of the internet, when it was created, is it’s everywhere. Now, we have an industry coming into play where borders are critically important for making sure the operators adhere to state law. That’s a significant change in the internet—from anonymity to full transparency, from no validation to a true validation that’s applicable under state law.”
—Matthew Katz, CEO of Central Account Management System (CAMS), which provides payment processing and player verification services to online casinos in New Jersey to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
“The Star has been fully committed to improving the casino’s air quality over the past two years. We’ve invested heavily into replacing and upgrading our main air filtration system, but the new smoke-free gaming area is a truly smoke-free environment. That means that this area of the casino has its own independent air filtration system that only uses fresh air.”
—John Cirrincione, general manager of Santa Ana Star Casino in New Mexico announcing the enclosing of the casino’s non-smoking area
“The defendants’ use of the Sands marks on the homepages of online casinos, even though unauthorized by Las Vegas Sands Corp., threatens to dilute and detract from Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s message and its efforts to stop the proliferation of online gambling.”
—Lawsuit filed by Las Vegas Sands to shut down several Asian online casinos it says have used the Sands logo on their sites without authorization
“We know we can’t compete with Steve Wynn and other people who can write million-dollar checks. But money isn’t an absolute in these campaigns. In some of these local referendums, casino opponents were outspent 100-to-1 and still won.”
—David Guarino, spokesman for the anti-gaming group Repeal the Casino Deal, which is seeking a referendum to appeal the two-year-old law that legalized casinos in Massachusetts
