“I think it speaks to the mainstream nature of the industry and why you’re seeing greater comfort in working more closely with the industry. Already, in the case of the NFL, you have 28 of the 32 teams within an hour of an existing casino. And so, the omnipresence of the industry has changed the outlook on the industry.”
—Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, to the Seattle Times on barriers between the gaming industry and pro sports coming down
“In the history of the BIA, they never have revoked a compact.”
—Rodney Butler, chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, trying to cool fears of Connecticut lawmakers that a new casino bill threatens an existing tribal compact
“I do not believe that the Queensland government is in any mood to seriously think of casinos. They will be up for election next year, and their natural tendency would be to stay clear of controversial decisions.”
—Sudhir Kale, adjunct professor, Bond Business School, on the uncertainty surrounding casino proposals in the Australian state
“We are dealing with the ‘VVIP’ guys that we personally know. No one can play in our VIP rooms unless we know who they are.”
—Mark Brown, chairman, Imperial Pacific, in a statement last year on the Saipan resort’s elite patron base
“With the improving economy, soaring home prices and growing luxury car sales, I see the big picture. It’s a consumption upgrade.”
—Michael Liang, chief investment officer, Hong Kong-based Foundation Asset Management, on Macau’s ongoing recovery
“When Rhode Island launched its industry, we did nothing. When New York got into the game, we did nothing. We’ve got a choice now, continue to do nothing, or fight.”
—Andrew Doba, spokesman for MMCT, the development arm of Connecticut’s gaming tribes, arguing for a third casino to blunt competition from Massachusetts
“It would make a difference in a starting point if the attorney general was able to opine that that would safely secure the state’s position. I don’t intend to put that in jeopardy.”
—Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy, skeptical that the state’s gaming tribes can guarantee the state won’t lose money if it alters the tribal state gaming compact to allow a third casino.
“China’s eSports industry is still in its early stage, compared with the mature market in the U.S. and Europe. For its orderly and healthy development, industry participants should join hands to set some rules and framework and comply with them. The emergence of top-level products has driven the explosive growth of China’s e-sports gaming industry in the past two to three years.”
—Xiao Hong, CEO of Perfect World Co Ltd., a Chinese video game and movie conglomerate to China Daily on the growth of Chain’s eSports industry
