“One of our primary objectives in pursuing this new facility is to make sure that this mutually beneficial partnership continues long into the future,”
—Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, explaining why his tribe and the Mohegan tribe seek to build a third, satellite casino in Connecticut and continue paying taxes to the state
“They’re using an anti-tribe group as their pawns. From our concern, the suit is against the federal government and we’re confident the Justice Department will prevail,” Cromwell said.
—Cedric Cromwell, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe of Massachusetts, reacting to a lawsuit funded by a potential casino rival that seeks to invalidate a recent BIA action putting land into trust in Taunton for the tribe
“We know there are literally tens of thousands of jobs at stake on this issue. When we frame it as saving Connecticut jobs and that there are hard-working, middle-income people’s jobs who are at stake, who have health and retirement benefits, I think that becomes very real to legislators.”
—Bob Duff, Majority Leader of the Connecticut Senate, explaining why the state has an interest in preserving the livelihood of its two gaming tribes, the Mohegans and Pequots
“The casino gaming industry is leading the conversation around a new approach to sports betting that enhances consumer protections, strengthens the integrity of games and recognizes fans’ desire for greater engagement with sports.”
—American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman, after illegal betting on Super Bowl 50 dwarfed legal betting in the U.S.
“We’re a pure game of skill. People use their brain in order to be successful. We also offer players the opportunity to play against each other, not just in large pools of people across the world, but among their friends and family.”
—DraftKings Chief International Officer Jeff Haas, refuting claims that daily fantasy sports is gambling in an interview with the Associated Press
“There’s now a far greater understanding here in Australia of the Chinese guest experience. We’ve got a wide range of gaming rooms for both direct and junket customers, and they’re all booked out over the next couple of weeks because of the high demand we’re seeing at the top of that gaming space.”
—Greg Hawkins, managing director, Star Sydney, on the influx of Chinese gamblers over the New Year festivities and year-round
“Sands China is pleased to announce this bonus and salary increase during such a challenging business environment. We are committed to rewarding our greatest asset—our dedicated employees, who have been working hard amid challenges.”
—Wilfred Wong Ying Wai, president, Sands China, announcing a bonus for some employees and raises for others at the Macau unit of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Sands China was the last of Macau’s Big 6 to announce bonuses for the year
“These crackdowns have not resulted in any measurable impact on (GGR) trends. But the specter of potential UnionPay restrictions in the wake of the overseas Hong Kong insurance restrictions remains an overhang, particularly as the mass market has begun to gain some momentum.”
—Union Gaming Research Asia, in a note about the Chinese government crackdown on UnionPay debit cards, which have been used in the past by Mainlanders to access easy cash for gambling
“This is a warning to party members that they can lose their place. It is an alarming development in the personality cult around Xi.”
—Willy Lam, Chinese University of Hong Kong, on the recent firing of Sichuan Governor Wei Hong by order of President Xi Jinping. Wei was not accused of a crime, only of disloyalty and “violating party discipline”
“We research the way in which kids take up the messages that are in gambling, such as William Hill’s sponsorship of the Australian Open tennis. We now have evidence that kids aged 8 to 16 not only have very high levels of recall, and can name four or five or six sports betting companies, but that, given a range of products such as junk food, alcohol and gambling, some prefer a gambling product over a junk food.”
—Samantha Thomas, associate professor at Deakin University in Melbourne at a panel discussion on how gambling companies are attracting younger players with sports sponsorships and free-to-play online games at a recent New Zealand gambling conference
