“Our tribe is at an all-time low. I believe membership, we are supporting stopping the war. I’m pretty sure everyone is at this point. We’re tired of it, embarrassed, the shame we felt to see ourselves on the news.
—Nicolette Griffith, a member of California’s Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians, commenting on the closure of the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino by a federal judge who has ordered three contentious factions who claim to run the tribe to meet to work out a solution to their problems
“Chukchansi is a blight on all of Indian gaming; it’s given Indian Country a black eye, and it’s given the Obama administration a black eye.”
—Gabriel Galanda, an attorney specializing in tribal issues, criticizing the National Indian Gaming Commission for waiting as long as it did to close down the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino, near Fresno, California
“But the question it raised here was why members of the clergy should need crib sheets to formulate a timeless message they feel they have been called to deliver.”
—Joe Fitzgerald, writing in the Boston Herald about a recent article that implied that clergy needed “talking points” to express their opposition to casinos in Massachusetts
“It’s draining all kinds of wealth from our communities and we should recognize that fact. There are lessons to be learned in New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware. Enough is enough.”
—Robert Steele, author of a novel that is highly critical of gaming, called “The Curse, Big Time Gambling’s Seduction of a Small New England Town in Connecticut”
“At the very first meeting of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, three-and-a-half years ago, they invited me to come, and I was their keynote speaker. I think they’re being very, very careful and don’t want to make any mistakes, and so they’re not going to be rushed into anything.”
—Frank Fahrenkopf, former CEO and president of the American Gaming Association, addressing the criticism that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission moved too slowly to license its three casino resorts and one slots parlor
“Last week’s story about Phil Ivey, who sued Crockfords for non-payment of a £7.7 million punto banco win, reminded me that casinos are—and will always be—the enemy. The judge ruled that Ivey was cheating. I see a sting—maybe a con—but I’d say the house was outwitted rather than cheated.”
—London columnist Victoria Coren Mitchell, commenting in The Observer on poker pro Phil Ivey’s loss in a lawsuit after a casino refused to pay him punto banco winnings because he employed edge-sorting to gain an advantage
“There’s no way, shape or form we would have ever thought a first-generation Cuban-American would ever have a game (with) Bally… a part of something that for me is iconic, and that’s Las Vegas.”
—Singer Pitbull, commenting on his role as the “brand ambassador” for Bally Technologies’ new line of Playboy-themed slots
“If disruption and innovation are so important—so critical to continued success—why is the internet so dangerous? If they were really concerned as they say, they would work with the operators and regulators to bring about more controls.”
—Jeffrey Haas, director of poker for bwin.party to Bluff magazine on Sheldon Adelson’s and Steve Wynn’s comments against online gambling at the 2014 Global Gaming Conference
“I think the way the industry is developing, our best-case scenario is for Congress to do nothing during the lame duck. There’s certainly opportunity for some shenanigans to happen, and everyone in the gaming industry should be keeping a close watch on what Congress may do.”
—John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance to Yogonet on the possibility that advocates for a ban on online gambling may try to move during Congress’ lame-duck session after the November elections
“Mr. Hayssen should look no further than Atlantic City to see the benefits of competition in the casino industry. His idea is an attempt to deflect the reality that according to our consultants, over 80 percent of Lago’s customers will come from existing casinos in the area, including Vernon Downs.”
?Jeff Gural, owner, Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs Casino & Hotel, on a proposal by Seneca County official Robert Hayssen to create a “casino corridor” on New York’s Interstate 90
“The establishment of a casino in Tyre would not be a case of friendly competition; it would be a direct and deliberate drain on our struggling economy, located just down the road. Economic development efforts should diversify and strengthen upstate New York, not pit one region against another. Growth in one region should not be at the expense of another, and should not tear apart success that has been achieved by neighboring communities.”
?Carol A. Manuele and William K. Guglielmo, of the Rome, NY, chamber of commerce, who oppose a casino in Tyre, about an hour away, which would compete with an Indian casino and commercial racino
“If they’re morally against it, fine, but I don’t feel they should be putting their will on the majority of people, who want a casino.”
?Michael Queenan, mayor, Woodbury, NY, on the wealthy Harriman family, which is working to oppose a casino near Sterling Forest in Orange County
“At this time I am not able to meet with you nor do I have an interest in releasing the restrictive covenants on the property.”
?David Harriman Mortimer, vice president, New York Park Commission and a member of the Harriman family, which is fighting a Caesars casino near their ancestral property in New York State
