“It’s just not as fun here as it used to be.”
?Macau gambler, speaking to Forbes magazine
“Chinese tourists travel in droves, they spend a lot of money and it’s forecast by the World Tourism Organization to be the No. 1 tourism market in the world.”
?Edieser De la Santa, University of the Philippines, on a 30 percent spike in tourism to the country in 2014. The WTO reports that China is the world’s largest outbound market
“While Macau is the largest VIP market in the world, many other markets have identified these drivers and do not face issues currently faced by Macau?anti-corruption campaign, regulatory pressure and slow infrastructure improvement. Is the overall VIP market shrinking and is some other country gaining market share from Macau? The answer to both questions is yes.”
?Morgan Stanley, in a report on the continuing decline in Macau’s gaming industry, and corresponding boosts in other jurisdictions
“We’ve lived through downturns before and said to people things were going to be OK and they were OK. But this time we got it wrong.”
?Aaron Fischer, CSLA Ltd. gaming analyst at CLSA Ltd., on Macau’s 10th monthly decline in gaming revenues
“The Macau gaming revenue has consecutively come down for nine months, and really everybody was anxious to say ‘Where’s the bottom?’ We don’t have a crystal ball. We don’t know. But I guess towards the second half of this year, with new products being opened, and from a smaller base.”
?Francis Lui Yui Tung, vice chairman, Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd., on the new normal in Macau, which just posted its 10th straight monthly revenue slide
“Things in Vegas are getting better. (The market) is more buoyant, in large part because supply has been stable now for some time, demand patterns are improving, the convention and meeting business is robust.”
—Caesars Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman, offering a positive view of the Las Vegas casino market on CNBC’s Closing Bell
“We don’t think that’s fair. They don’t ask how much you’ve lost.”
—Pennsylvania slot player Dolores Derbis, on the Internal Revenue Service’s proposed plan to lower the reporting threshold on slot win from $1,200 to $600
“Every day, we see more and more evidence that our rationale for the acquisition is tremendous and that the combination has created a company that is distinctly differentiated from any other.”
—Ram Chary, CEO of Global Cash Access, on his company’s acquisition last year of Texas-based slot manufacturer Multimedia Games
“As the state of Connecticut and its congressional delegation continue the premeditated genocide of the remaining three state-recognized tribes, we find it hypocritical of them to now want to open three additional casinos.”
—Dennis Jenkins, chairman of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut, reacting to the proposal to allow the two Indian tribes that operate casinos in the state to add up to three new casinos while opposing federal recognition of three other tribes (including his) in the state
“While the economy is struggling, you are going to see lower growth rates for Indian gaming, nationally and in California.”
—Alan Meister, author ofCasino City’s annual Indian Gaming Report, which looks at the profitability of Indian gaming nationwide
“Everyone knows that this job-killing bill would benefit a few wealthy special interests out to protect their market share, at the expense of the West Valley and the entire state of Arizona.”
—Tohono Nation Chairman Ned Norris, Jr., commenting on the effort in Congress to stop the Glendale, Arizona casino his tribe is building from opening
“With all that crap, there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere.”
—Dan Lee, CEO of Full House Resorts, comparing his situation taking over the company to a young boy coming downstairs on Christmas morning
