“We’ll always roll-out technology is a very humanistic way. We’ll always have ambassadors in the lobby because there still are guests that even if the line is 45 minutes long they don’t want to use kiosks. But demographics will change and people will become more comfortable with all kinds of technology.”
?Eileen Moore, general manager, the Cromwell, Las Vegas, on using electronic kiosks to check in at the Caesars boutique hotel
“I feel bad for the military people. They don’t like the mess hall. That’s why they came to the casino. They loved the chicken fingers. We made the batter and the dip ourselves.”
?Melissa Trotter, former employee of the Indian Springs, Nevada casino, recently acquired by the U.S. Air Force and closed to create a greater security buffer around Creech AFB
“The SLS is a great shot in the arm for the area. It’s a great thing to have all this activity, with retail going in across the street and the concert venue on the other corner. This is all very positive, and we are really optimistic.”
?Angie Hurt, manager, Bonanza Gift Shop on the oft-overlooked north end of the Vegas Strip, where the SLS resort is expected to boost traffic
“If Virginia really wants dramatic change, then legalize casino gambling. To those who oppose gambling for religious or ethical reasons, I fully respect your beliefs. Others will say gambling brings in crime and can destroy families as well as preying on the elderly. So can alcohol and the lottery, but Virginia allows and taxes each. The money is there. The revenue is there. It’s just going across the border.”
?Wes McElroy, sports reporter, in an op-ed piece in the Richmond Times Dispatch
“Ultimately, there’s too much competition and they’ll all go down the tubes. The problem is the whole country is becoming one big gambling casino, and many of them will die.”
?Donald Trump, commenting on new casinos planned for New York state
“Let’s keep in mind that Donald Trump filed for bankruptcy with casinos when the market was going gangbusters, so he doesn’t have a very stellar record as a casino operator. There will continue to be some movement of money and redistribution of market shares. But even on top of that redistribution, the market’s grown $2 billion and the two major areas left in the Northeast for some possible expansion is Massachusetts and New York.”
?Clyde Barrow, gaming analyst, responding to The Donald’s claim that some of New York’s planned new casinos are doomed
“Donald Trump got out of the casino business, and even he sees that casinos are a bad bet for Massachusetts, for New York and for other states trying to compete in an oversaturated market. If Donald Trump sees casinos are going down the tubes, why are Massachusetts politicians hell-bent on opening up our doors to the corrupt casino culture of failure, predators and empty promises?”
?John Ribeiro, chairman, Repeal the Casino Deal, Massachusetts
“No, New York will never be saved by casinos. Given the relatively harsh winters (that numerous New Yorkers escape south to avoid every year), the lack of diversity in upstate New York, the limited pool of discretionary dollars, and high competition, casinos cannot be the savior to New York’s deficit. Local communities that may gain a short-term bump due to curiosity and ease of travel, but will not have meaningful long-term improvements.”
?Examiner.com, in a report on the viability of the New York casino market
“Upstate? It’s too far away.”
?Lionel Leung, Queens, NY, who says he will not travel beyond Resorts World racino in New York City to gamble
“I have met with them so many times, trying to mediate. They are under no obligation to listen to me and they pretty much do what they want, but now with their casino being closed, they have to do something.”
—John Anderson, sheriff of Madera County, California, commenting on the internal disputes between members of the Chukchansi tribe, which have kept their Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold closed since early October
“Expansion plans are favorably reflective of a recommitment to the property and the region following ongoing rumors that the property was on the selling block for some time.”
—Union Gaming Group analyst Robert Shore, writing in an investor note that the Sands Bethlehem’s expansion plan should squelch previous rumors the Pennsylvania casino would be sold
“Playing such games is like training you to be a real gambler. You become familiar with the game play, and you may think you have ‘practiced’ enough and are ready for gambling.”
—Singapore psychiatrist and gambling addiction counselor Thomas Lee, warning that the government should monitor social gaming sites which he says could provide young people “training” for real-money gambling and possible problems that come with it
“They casinos will mean jobs (about 10,000 permanent ones) and revenue (about $400 million a year for the state and localities). Just when all of that is within reach—and yes, in the case of Plainville, shovels already in the ground—is no time to turn back the clock.”
—Editorial, the Boston Herald, urging a no vote on Question 3, which would repeal the Massachusetts casino expansion law of 2011
“This has been a long, long fight. “We’ve been on the ropes so many times. We’ve been hanging on the edge.”
—Jimmy Hardy, a Massachusetts horse trainer and owner, who has fought long and hard for casino gaming in the state, and now opposes Question 3, which would repeal the casino law
“We’re within striking distance. The polling has sort of been all over the place. We’re within the margin of error one week and then behind by double digits the next week. One week we’re a long shot.”
—Darek Barcikowski, campaign manager for Repeal the Casino Deal, which hopes to repeal state law authorizing casinos in Massachusetts
