“It’s devastating. Our tribe was the one that welcomed everyone.”
—Cecile Hansen, chairman of the Duwamish Tribe of Seattle, Washington, reacting to the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ denial of federal recognition to the tribe
“Right now horse racing has exclusivity in Internet wagering. If you’re going to expand Internet wagering you got to include horse racing.”
—Josh Robinstein, chief operating office of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, commenting on the question of whether California’s racetracks should be included in any legalization of iPoker by the legislature
“Long term we want to see online poker authorized in California to raise the profile of poker and build a new generation of poker players that will help land based poker rooms thrive.”
—Nick Salem, general manager of the Palomar Card Club in San Diego
“As a relatively new company, advertising has been the best way to introduce DraftKings to new players. DFS could be among the top categories of advertising in sports over the next year.”
—Jason Robins, CEO of DraftKings to Adweek on the increasing amount of Daily fantasy Sports league’s advertising during sporting events
“The fundamental health of the company is perfect and without question, and my intention is to keep it that way—without any qualification to that statement.”
—Wynn Resorts Chairman Steve Wynn, on an investor conference call after the company reported a $44.6 million first-quarter loss
“In our over 100-year history, there has never been a court finding of discrimination against us for the simple reason that we never, ever discriminate against anyone and the idea of such a practice is repugnant to everything that our company stands for.”
—Statement from Cordish Companies in response to allegations by union officials and the Black Clergy of Philadelphia, where the company is developing a casino, that the company has practiced racial discrimination in nightclubs at its other casinos
“The change in the law that allowed this to happen was far from Labour’s finest hour. The party needs to hold up its hands and admit it.”
—Sadiq Khan, Labour candidate for London mayor, on the proliferation of fixed-odds betting terminals in high street betting shops
“QPS has no immediate plans to initiate exclusions of individuals from casinos based on the circumstances occurring in another state or territory,”
—Spokesperson, Queensland Police Service, which does not ban gamblers who have been accused of illegal gaming-related activities in other Australian states
“Postponements and hesitation cannot go on. Policymakers need to see the real demand. We are totally capable of managing the activity, as long as regulations are clear.”
—Ngo Tri Long, Vietnamese economist, on a plan, under consideration since 2010, to legalize sports betting in the country
“Would it hurt us a little bit? Probably. But it might make people here do more for the customers, to keep them happier. I think there should be 10 casinos in Niagara Falls owned by different people. Then you would really see competition for the customer.”
—Vince Kerrio, councilman, Niagara Falls, Canada, who is not opposed to more casinos in the vicinity, including the Greater Toronto area
“The core issues have to be addressed in order to move forward and diversify the economy. We are currently very fragmented. We can’t simply say we are a world-class destination. We need to build a brand that is believable.”
—Glenn McCartney, assistant professor of hospitality and gaming management at the University of Macau, on the jurisdiction’s ongoing woes
“Of course, everyone wanted foreigners to come. One of them came, an American, Sheldon Adelson, the richest Jew in gambling as he calls himself. He was the only foreigner who expressed a desire to work in Russia. He wanted to work in the Moscow region but was not allowed, and so he left, even though he was ready to invest from $3 to $5 billion dollars. He (invested) in Las Vegas, a new casino called Venice. The money returned in two years.”
—Samoil Binder, Russian Association of Gambling Business, on the 2009 closure of Russia’s casinos
“If you’re going to go and live life to excess in any one thing, it’s going to have a negative impact, but anything in moderation, I don’t think is that bad.”
—Rob Ford, former Toronto mayor, on the risk that expanded gaming in Toronto could lead to gambling addiction. Ford was captured on video smoking crack while in office, but says he has been sober for a year
“I think this is quite insidious and dangerous. This is anything but family-friendly. What the casino’s trying to do is camouflage the fact that it is basically a casino.”
—Tim Costello, anti-casino activist, on a new “Family Entrance” at Crown Resorts’ Melbourne Casino. The entry leads to the food court, not the casino
