“This action by the state should be of great concern to all tribes in California and elsewhere because it reflects a tactic that if successful would set a dangerous legal precedent that could be used in other jurisdictions to undermine and attack tribal sovereignty,”
—Cruz Bustamente, spokesman for the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, which has been sued by the California Attorney General Kamala Harris for offering online bingo
“If someone has a problem, the absolute worst thing we can do for them as an industry is offer them an incentive to come back again. When someone ends up on the exclusion list, we cut off communications with them.”
—Robert DeSalvo, senior vice president – development at Wynn Resorts, explaining to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission why his company opposes a program at the state’s casinos that would give players free play if they stick within a voluntary loss limit
“In many of the more developed gaming jurisdictions around the world, the percentage of the population experiencing negative health effects as a result of gambling has either plateaued — at roughly 1 to 2 percent — or in fact declined.”
—The American Gaming Association, in a letter to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, criticizing a proposed program for play management at the four casinos that will open eventually in the Bay State
“We think we have too much gaming.”
—Felix Rappaport, newly installed chief operating officer of Foxwoods, the largest U.S. casino, on the casino’s move to diversify its entertainment venues
“The challenge for companies is how they are going to persuade the regulator and a more skeptical public that they really care and it’s not just cosmetic or just enough to keep either the regulator or politicians off their back.”
?Philip Graf, British Gambling Commission, on efforts by gaming companies in the U.K. to identify problem gamblers
“There aren’t any Wayne Newtons and Sinatras and Sammys anymore. There’s not that Frank, Sammy, Dean who didn’t need last names. The iconic guys now are rock stars. We’re meeting with young bands that are that close to making it and want to show their chops. We want to be known as a place that develops up-and-comers, young new acts.”
?Don Marrandino, chief operating officer, Hard Rock Lake Tahoe, who says the resort will welcome local rock bands when it opens in January
“We have been focused on organic growth for 15 years. You look around with these conglomerates being created and we’re still focused on building our brand and building up our product lines. We’re not focused on merger integration initiatives.”
—Konami Gaming Senior Vice President Thomas Jingoli, to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, noting that the recent mega-mergers in the slot sector have changed nothing with respect to the slot-maker’s strategies
“Face it. Delaware is trapped. Incredible competition from other states is squeezing Delaware’s three casinos to an extent no one imagined. The state grew accustomed to a big share of the casinos’ take in the good years. It was a Delaware golden goose as long as no other casinos were close by.”
—Editorial in Delaware’s News Journal noting that the state’s fiscal dilemma is tied to its reliance on casino revenues
“It’s too early to say they’re wrong, but it isn’t going to be anything like 20 percent. I feel very, very confident it’s going to be negligible.”
—Cordish Companies Chairman David Cordish on the impact of the new Horseshoe Baltimore casino on revenues at Cordish’s Maryland Live! casino, which some analysts had predicted would amount to a 20 percent slice of Cordish revenues
“I think they had the best of intentions to invest in Atlantic City. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. We have to be fair to them. They were the only ones at all to fly out of there. If Atlantic City can look like a profitable or a break-even business, then they may consider coming back.”
—Jamie Fox, New Jersey Transportation commissioner to the Press of Atlantic City on United Airlines sudden decision to stop service at Atlantic City International Airport
“Looking the part is vital, of course. We want our branding to reflect the fact that iSoftBet is at the vanguard of gaming innovation. We’ve also been working with all departments to enhance our offering from the bottom up, from game development, to integration methods and account management. We feel we’ve created the perfect brand identity to reflect the nature of our business and highlight the unique services we can offer to customers. We strive to offer our customers the best possible service, and we can’t wait to introduce the new brand identity to new and existing customers.”
—Nir Elbaz, commercial director for iSoftBet, announcing a new logo and website design for the Aldernay-based online gambling provider
