“There’s no debate: gaming in Ohio has become a valued community partner in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and beyond. We invite candidates to meet with voters at casinos and show their support for an economic driver in Ohio while learning about an industry that’s creating thousands of jobs beyond the Las Vegas Strip.”
—American Gaming Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman, before the Republican presidential candidates’ debate in Cleveland
“Projects of this magnitude require a huge degree of continuity and trust between governments, developers and contractors and a recognition that failure will result in economic and reputational damage to all parties. At a time when the Bahamas is the regional destination most likely to be impacted by the opening of Cuba to U.S. visitors, it cannot afford to see damaged the strong destination image Baha Mar was intended to promote.”
—Columnist David Jessop in the Caribbean News, on why the Bahamas considers the stalled $3.5 billion Baha Mar project “too big to fail.”
“The risk of opening the casino to a monstrous traffic problem, though, was too great. The delay is a better-safe-than-sorry approach that the Gaming Commission, in unanimously approving a September 2018 opening, was correct to adopt.”
—Editorial, the Republican, supporting the one-year delay in the opening of the MGM Springfield approved last week by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission
“It’s unfortunate when you have somebody who appears to get his way a lot not getting his way and [this is] the way he responds,’’
—Mayor Martin Walsh of Boston, commenting about a very public feud between himself and Steve Wynn of Wynn Resorts
“I spent around two and a half years in this gambling environment and lost around eight million crowns. For a young man of between 26 and 29 years old this was a massive amount. I got into debt and sold everything that I had.”
—Martin Svoboda, former compulsive gambler, speaking out in favor of stronger controls on the Czech gaming market
“If this is going to happen, then the slogan that the Czech Republic works as the casino of Europe will no longer be the case, and I definitely think that it will help the country and its development.”
—David Ondrá?ka, anti-gaming activist, on planned limits on gaming in Czechoslovakia
“To be honest, at this stage we don’t even expect—we hope. There’s no expecting anything, there’s just hoping. It’s like literally praying. It’s almost like a lottery ticket now. So, we hope.”
—Lawrence Ho, Melco Crown, on the firm’s desire to be approved for 400 gaming tables at its Studio City resort in Macau, which will open in October
“The only thing they have ever developed was CityCenter, and for those of us in the United States, particularly those of us who live here in Vegas, it doesn’t need any further comments.”
—Sheldon Adelson, Las Vegas Sands Corp., sneering at MGM Resorts International, his rival in Vegas and Macau
“Unlike nearly all other regional Asian gaming markets, which are betting on the growth of inbound Chinese players, Nepal’s gaming industry’s key customer demographic is the second most populous country in the world: India.”
—Grant Govertsen, Union Gaming analyst, on Nepal’s plan to target middle-class Indian gamblers
“Today we continue our efforts to defend the tourism industry in Puerto Rico. Enough is enough. Enough damage has already been done to the industry and we have to put a stop to it.”
—Miguel Vega, chairman of the Association of Hotels and Tourism of Puerto Rico, criticizing a government proposal for allowing video lottery terminals outside of hotels
“For FY2014, amortization costs related to our gaming machine segment will come into play for the 12-month period, but we are bullish on the long-term prospects for our new gaming machine additions.”
—Jay Chun, Paradise Entertainment Ltd. chairman, confident that while things may not be running according to plan at the moment, the company is staying positive on the future
“For some observers, the Mirage would be a more logical candidate for sale than other properties. I don’t view it that way at all.”
—Jim Murren, MGM Resorts International CEO, insisting that the Mirage is in fact not for sale
“I don’t want to get bogged down with having to explain everything. It’s going to be a very fine balance between too little information and too much information.”
—Stephen Riesenbergor, creative director with NanoTech Gaming, expressing frustrations in the development process for the new arcade-style slot machines aimed at millennials. He claims some regulators want companies to lay out intimate details of the machines, including math.
“The millions in prizes won’t be coming out of investors’ pockets. It will come from the pool filled with buckets of money lost to the house. And so the leagues and their TV networks are now in the business of not only urging sports fans to bet—every day, too—but also to lose their money so fantasy league backers can rake their cut of the action.”
—Phil Mushnick, New York Post columnist in a column of daily fantasy sports
“This process had been like a slow boat to China, while the key elements of the discussion keep revolving. We can truly ask ourselves whether—from the perspective of the content of the draft act—anything material has changed. I would say no. A lot of time has gone into the process and with a relatively large number of lobbying forces, progress has been hampered. We’re now talking 2017 and that’s if the political landscape remains relatively stable. However, that could change overnight in the Netherlands as coalitions simply have not been so stable in the last decade.”
—Eric Olders, CEO of JVH Gaming, which hopes to be licensed for online gambling if the Netherlands often delayed Remote Gambling Act is passed
