“The table of brotherhood is open for anyone who wants to lend a hand. Whether they’re at the table or not, we’re going to have a chair for them.”
—A conciliatory Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian on Governor Chris Christie’s appointment of an emergency management team to control the city’s affairs
“A Chinese proverb advises, ‘Kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.’ With Macau’s fourth quarter VIP revenue down 29 percent and mass market revenue down 16 percent, monkeys and chickens alike already appear quite frightened.”
?Forbes magazine, on the implosion of Macau’s gaming industry
“We have also seen an increase in clients wanting to know whether possible partners are gambling large sums in Macau, and seeing that as a potential red flag. At the same time, the FBI is also taking more of an interest in what’s going on in Macau, and has been investigating overlapping interests between the junkets, sports-betting groups and high-stakes poker.”
? Jason Wright, risk consultant, on increased U.S. scrutiny of international high rollers
“The Macau government is supposed to consider good character, honesty and integrity as part of the suitability assessment for any gaming concessionaire. I am not sure that has been a major consideration previously, or that it is likely to be so in future.”
?Risk consultant in Macau, speaking anonymously to Bloomberg about the change of fortunes in the gaming hub
“The employees working in Sands Cotai Central can choose to work in the VIP rooms of other properties, or other non-gaming businesses our group run. We will not sack any people.”
?Chiu Siu Fung, of the Macau junket firm Gold Moon Group, which is planning to close its VIP room at the Sands Cotai. The company is investing in other jurisdictions including the Philippines
“My goal remains creating a sensible framework for a new California industry. That will involve a thoughtful process of consultation with all of the key stakeholders. I pride myself in listening; I expect this process will continue throughout the year.”
—Mike Gatto, California assemblyman who has introduced a bill to legalize online poker in California
“Virtually every argument raised by opponents has already been addressed in the courts and thrown out on its merits.”
—Ned Norris, chairman of the Tohono O’odham Nation, reacting to a bill introduced by Arizona’s U.S. Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake that would prevent his tribe from opening a casino in Glendale
“It’s critical for the state and the town that Twin River remain competitive and that revenue and jobs are preserved. We see the addition of a small hotel as a valuable amenity and one we would very much like to further explore.’’
—John E. Taylor, chairman of Twin River Casino in Rhode Island, commenting on why his company is asking the state for the right to open a hotel next to the operation
“What we’re trying to do is update our restaurants and bars, because there’s so much more non-gaming that is important in our industry today than it was 15, 20 years ago.”
—Bill Boyd, executive chairman, and co-founder of Boyd Gaming, on the opening of new bars and restaurants at the company’s Downtown Las Vegas casinos
“It may be different than in a 3,000-slot-machine casino that you have in Vegas, but we want to take advantage of our natural surroundings and listen to what our clients are telling us.”
—Steve DesChamps, general manager of Hoover Dam Lodge, speaking on the casino’s remodel
“Sometimes I feel like Rodney Dangerfield, I get no respect,”
—Jeff Gural, owner of Tioga Downs, on failing to receive the fourth casino license for upstate New York
“We’ll take a look at how the machines work, and a careful look at what the law says.”
—Post Falls Police Chief Scot Haug on the upcoming investigation of instant-racing machines in Idaho
“Designing the official online counterpart to the Monte-Carlo casino was always going to be a daunting challenge. We are incredibly proud of the new online casino which is the culmination of a year of planning and design. Many unique features accentuate our close relationship with the land-based Monte-Carlo, including the use of the actual interiors for our online games rooms.”
—Isabelle Andres, CEO of Betclic Everest Group on the re-launch of Monte-Carlo Casino online with the Monaco hotels to casinos group, SBM
“It’s been my observation that bitcoin poker players tend to play less when the price goes down. I think from a bitcoin enthusiast standpoint there is less to be excited about as the price slides. The flip side of that coin is that when the price spikes upward humans seem to be more excited about bitcoin in general, and play seems to pick up.”
—Bryan Rincon, poker pro to Cardplayer.com on how the changing price of the virtual currency Bitcoin affects players and casinos that accept them
“I can’t make it. There’s nothing here anymore. It’s like a ghost town.”
—Atlantic City cab driver Taoufik Ammari, to the Philadelphia Inquirer, on the devastating effects of four casino closures on the taxi business
“Alabama is in a donut hole. We are surrounded by gambling states. Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee. So, we’ve got to bring money back to the state some kind of way immediately.”
—Alabama state Rep. John Rogers, urging legalization of casino gambling by the legislature
“We will listen to the needs of all our customers, act as a partner and offer the best products, including outstanding service. New markets will be carefully evaluated and analyzed by our whole team. We will be very selective since it is not our goal to conquer the whole world in a short period.”
—New Merkur Gaming CEO Jens Halle, explaining his plans for the Gauselmann Group subsidiary going forward in an interview with Yogonet.com
