“Most of the California tribes are opposed to North Fork. The land into trust issue is the main reason. No one is really on the fence.”
—Victor Rocha, editor of Pechanga.net, a net publication that is deeply involved in Indian gaming politics in California, commenting on Prop. 48, which would allow the North Fork tribe to qualify an “off reservation” casino
“This move by North Fork, if it goes forward, will incentivize tribes in rural areas to move to more lucrative locations.”
—Cheryl Schmit, director of Stand Up For California, speaking against Prop. 48, which would approve of the tribal gaming compact of the North Fork tribe, which wants to build an off-reservation casino near Madera
“This compact provides a much needed economic boost for one of the poorest regions of the state and nation by generating thousands of good paying jobs and pumping nearly a $100 million dollars per year into the Madera County economy.”
—Elaine Bethel-Fink, tribal chairman of the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians, commenting on the tribal state gaming compact up for review by the voters of California in Proposition 48
“That law, passed in a moment of economic desperation, was a mistake for the commonwealth. Voters don’t have to believe that gambling is immoral, or that all casinos are inherently evil, to conclude that this law will do more harm than good.”
—Editorial, Boston Globe, endorsing Question 3, which would repeal Massachusetts’s 2011 gaming expansion law
“The same things that made the online overseas rooms popular. Bigger tournament pots. I’d like to see all the states linked together and I’d like to see our government honor the World Courts rulings that our country has no business blocking online poker from the people of the USA. That means, if the companies can agree, linking the overseas poker rooms to the skins in the USA and making million dollar tournaments like before Black Friday.”
—Scott Neuman, New Jersey congressional candidate and poker player to calvinayre.com on what changes are needed to help online poker in New Jersey
“The judge bought it. That’s why I’m not optimistic about the judge ultimately ruling in our favor. I wish we had a different judge. Irreparable harm wasn’t there. It isn’t there. But he’s the judge.”
—Raymond Lesniak, New Jersey state senator to the Newark Star-Ledger after federal Judge Michael Shipp issued a temporary restraining order to stop a New Jersey racetrack from beginning sports betting under a new state law
“If you’re going to build a resilient economy, you have to make it a more diverse economy. We’ve been focusing on broadening the economy with nongaming amenities, such as new retail destination tenants and how to rebuild a convention center industry within the city’s limits.”
—John Palmieri, executive director of the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Authority at a business forum on how Atlantic City is responding to casino closings
“For some, it raises concerns, but our view is always long-term, and the internet is not going away any time soon. So there remains a very compelling reason to regulate iPoker as effectively as possible. It’s also worth considering that Pechanga has not suffered from the irrational exuberance, which posits that iPoker is simply a cash cow comparable to what our brick-and-mortar facilities generate. For the Pechanga, we view internet poker as a necessary step to take in order to remain competitive for the long term. So, this initial rollercoaster that New Jersey and the other states, but mostly New Jersey, seems to be on, we are watching that, but we see that as real short-term stuff.”
—Mark Maccaro, tribal chairman of California’s Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians to igamingbusiness.com on reactions to underperforming online gambling in New Jersey
“The board has always been impressed with the fact that it’s got a hotel, it’s got a mall and it’s got a concert hall. It’s what the board intended when it was deciding who should get the limited number of licenses.”
—Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board spokesman Richard McGarvey on the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, in an annual report showing the Sands leading all other state casinos in the vast majority of revenue categories during the past year
“I want it off both of them. I’ve been away from Atlantic City for many years. People think we operate (the company), and we don’t. It’s not us. It’s not me.”
—Donald Trump, on his effort to have his name removed from the struggling Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, which Trump Entertainment is resisting, after Trump succeeded in having his name removed from the shuttered Trump Plaza
“The casinos have to pay their fees and have to pay their taxes like any other business. But the casinos have also been raped by the state of Delaware to the tune of 43.5 percent of their earnings. Who can survive in a business like that?”
—Delaware state Rep.Steve Smyk, in remarks presented in the campaign video of his political opponent, who criticized his vote for last year’s $10 million bailout of the state’s racinos
