“Does Connecticut come into play? The answer is unequivocally no.”
—MGM Resorts President William Hornbuckle dismissing the effects that a possible third Connecticut casino might have on the MGM Springfield
“Tenacious, determined, respectful and respected, warm, patient. He’s the reason the tribe got their land in trust, as he just wouldn’t let it go. Quite an achievement. I think the chairman will be just as determined to make the most of it.”
—Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, commenting about Cedric Cromwell, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe of Massachusetts, and crediting him with the success of this would-be gaming tribe
“Government stability is one of the significant factors in our decision-making process as to whether or not to enter into a settlement agreement for reopening the casino. We are looking for assurances that the gaming operation and tribal property can be safe from further conflict.”
—Michael Odle, spokesman for the National Indian Gaming Commission commenting on when the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold, California might reopen
“Today, anybody who has the disposable income to play a slot machine has something in their pocket that is way more entertaining than that slot machine.”
—Gaming historian David G. Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, commenting that gaming on mobile devices will be essential for casinos to appeal to the millennial generation
“I have sung many times in his casinos, but I won’t do it again. He seems to be an asshole. He thinks he can fix the world forgetting what immigrants have done for his country. He is a clown! And my apologies to clowns.”
—Spanish singer Julio Iglesias, commenting to the Barcelona-based daily newspaper La Vanguardia that he will never again perform in a casino associated with U.S. presidential contender Donald Trump, because of Trump’s anti-immigrant comments
“I thought it was a good idea, personally, when it first started out, because foreign investment is something that I agree with, but I don’t like the fact that it’s a state-owned entity, because the feeling around the country is that the Chinese are taking over.”
—Justin Lockhart, an engineer idled after being hired to work at the Bahamas’ troubled Baha Mar resort, currently stalled due to a dispute between its owner and Chinese state-owned contractor, commenting to Al Jazeera America News
“Can you think of any industry in the world where you would justify a monopoly because maybe a few advertising costs are saved? I can’t. Putting it out to tender makes it much more transparent and open, just doing a contract behind closed doors is not a very good form of governing.”
—Alan Fels, Australian consumer advocate, on the Federal Group’s 20-year-plus monopoly on poker in Tasmania, who said the arrangement eliminated competitive advertising
“The good thing now, in hindsight, is that our relationship with China is really not that good. So we never had the business from China, which nowadays is probably a good thing.”
—Enrique Razon Jr., chairman and CEO, Bloomberry Resorts, on a 33 percent drop in Chinese tourism to the Philippines, home of his Solaire resort
“There are 120 million gambling-mad Chinese, Japanese and Koreans living within two hours’ flying time of this place.”
—Craig Ballantyne, COO of Tigre de Cristal near Vladivostok, a deluxe casino resort located in a part of Russia that is often considered more Asian in feel
“With his former pal sinking $4 billion into the shrinking Macau market for Wynn Cotai, Okada might end up with the last laugh.”
—Forbes, on Kazuo Okada’s Manila Bay Resorts venture in the Philippines; Okada and Steve Wynn, who is heavily invested in Macau, once were partners
