“According to a recent Harper Polling survey, by an 8:1 margin, Pennsylvania voters are concerned that VGTs will kill jobs in the casino industry. Voters also oppose the placement of VGTs in restaurants, pizza shops, and delis by a 3-to-1 margin. Over 18,000 Pennsylvanian jobs are in jeopardy, and VGTs will not bring in the proposed revenue that supporters argue.”
—Pennsylvania state Rep. Scott Petri, in an op-ed piece for the PennLive website, criticizing the proposal in a gaming expansion measure to authorize video gaming terminals at liquor-licensed establishments across the state
“Crown is saying, ‘Hey, we’ve shut down most of our offices. We’ve learnt from the experiences. And not just in China, but in other markets, we’re taking the appropriate steps to prevent these things from happening again.’
—Sudhir Kale, GamePlan Consultants, on the apparent closing of Crown Resorts’ overseas offices; Crown boss James Packer is anxious to demonstrate that he will no longer market in China following the arrests there of 18 employees
“You can’t claim a machine is broken because you want it to be broken. Does that mean it wasn’t inspected? Does it mean it wasn’t maintained? And if so, does that mean that people that played there before Bookman had zero chance of winning?”
—Alan Ripka, an attorney for a woman in New York, Katrina Bookman, who was offered a steak dinner when the casino’s slot machine said she had won a $43 million jackpot
“It’s a complete sham. This was all planned. I think they were just desperate.”
—Attorney Brigit Barnes, representing residents of Elk Grove, California, who claim that the city council colluded with the Wilton Rancheria to put land into trust for a casino without residents knowing
“This is a desperate media stunt by an out-of-town front group for a local card room that’s trying to stifle competition.”
—Bob Magnuson, a spokesman for California’s Wilton Rancheria, reacting to a lawsuit by residents of Elk Grove trying to stop the Rancheria from building a casino within the city
