“The existing players that we have are aging out, and younger people are not coming in to replace them. They come to go to clubs. They come to go shopping. They come to go to the pools. They don’t come to gamble.”
—Acres 4.0 CEO John Acres, commenting to National Public Radio on the need for casinos to attract younger players to the casino floor with new game styles and improved service
“The most recent proof of the government’s intention is the cabinet decision of the government to change the definitions of ‘off-shore’ and other terms in the Goa Gambling Act. The new definition of off-shore can possibly allow all casinos to operate in all rivers of Goa.”
—Anand Shirodkar, president, Goa Suraksha Manch, who claims the powerful Bharatiya Janata Party wants to make the state of Goa the vice capital of India
“It is an indisputable fact that Australia has amongst the lowest maximum bets in the world for poker machines and that speed of play in Australia is amongst the slowest in the world. Our industry remains committed to progressing harm minimization initiatives where they are shown to be effective.”
—Ross Ferrar, CEO, Gaming Technologies Association, on efforts by anti-gaming lawmakers to limit pokie bets to $1
“The Japanese government should not let local people go to casinos. It is better to allow only foreigners in. If you allow local people in, many people will become bankrupt and commit suicide.”
—Retired Singaporean, who told the South China Morning Post he lost his savings at Singapore casinos, then borrowed money illegally to keep playing
“There is need for people to change their negative attitude on casinos, especially on gambling. But people must remember that everything we do has a negative effect.”
—Elsie Tembo, chief director, Malawi Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, in curious remarks at the opening of the Marina Casino in Lilongwe
“I have no problem in resigning or being out of the government. If the president loses even a single bit of trust and confidence in me, I will not insist on clinging on to this position. I will not lose a single night’s sleep.”
—Vitaliano Aguirre II, Philippine justice secretary, who has offered to resign in the wake of a bribery scandal at the country’s Bureau of Immigration
“So the law is the law. And I told everyone—including my relatives—do not do it. If you want a legitimate business, do it right and everything will be OK.”
—Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine president, on allegations that government officials accepted bribes in the case of missing casino tycoon Jack Lam
“What we need really is Jack Lam. He just has to surface and the boxing is finished.”
—Al Argosino, ex-commissioner, Philippine Bureau of Immigration, accused of bribery in the Jack Lam case
“There’s a variety of options for retiring horses. A very large percentage of the females go on to be moms and produce the next generation of horses, and a small percentage of the males would be the dads in that situation. The rest of them need jobs.”
—Ellen Harvey, director of harness racing communications for the United States Trotting Association, questioning whether hundreds of retired race horses face euthanasia and slaughter houses
“It’s things like being able to have an orthodontic appointment, it’s things like being able to pay a doctor for a cancer treatment, it’s things like paying tuition for our tribal members to go onto higher ed—this is how we finance that.”
—Tribal Chief Glenna Wallace of the Eastern Shawnee of Oklahoma, commenting on an expansion of the Indigo Sky Casino that the tribe is building and what tribal gaming helps to fund
“Gambling in the future is turning away from brick and mortar casinos to online gaming, apps and social media games.”
—Abim Thomas, attorney at Goodwin Procter Boston office, specializing in gaming, gambling and sweepstakes
